Helping Gigi
by KRiSTiNEDAHLiNG
Summary: Sequel to Helping Rory. Gigi's debutante ball is in three weeks and she's dateless. With help from her family she'll make her ex and the girl he left her for regret it. Horrible summary I know. Give it a chance. COMPLETE.
1. Who the Hell Does He Think He Is?

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: AH! I FINALLY DID IT. I FINALLY GOT THE SEQUEL STARTED. HAHA. I OWE IT ALL TO THE LOVELY LACEY WHO MADE ME REALIZE JUST HOW BADLY I HAVE WANTED TO WRITE THIS. I'M SORRY THAT IT TOOK SO LONG. I'VE HONESTLY TRIED TO START IT A COUPLE DOZEN TIMES BUT I JUST COULDN'T GET IT TO FLOW THE WAY I THOUGHT IT SHOULD. SO THIS IS IT. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. HAHA. OH AND THERE IS GOING TO BE SOME AGE INCONSISTENCIES. WHILE I REALIZE THAT GIGI WAS A BABY FOR MOST OF HELPING RORY FOR THE SAKE OF THIS STORY SHE WAS ACTUALLY LIKE FOUR ALMOST FIVE WHEN THAT HAPPENED. I DIDN'T WANT RORY TO BE IN HER MID-THIRTIES SO I CHANGED HER AGE FOR THIS ONE. THANKS.**

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE ANNE MARIE. IF I DID OWN GILMORE GIRLS, RORY, LOGAN, LORELAI, CHRISTOPHER, FINN, ETC. I WOULD HAVE MADE SURE THAT WE GOT OUR HAPPY ENDING. **

**CHAPTER ONE: WHO THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE IS **

- - -

When Gigi Hayden was eleven years old she had been assigned the daunting task of creating a five minute presentation about her family. What was daunting about the task was not the presentation part, but rather the time limit. She was not sure that she could properly discuss her family in five minutes. Her mother, Lorelai called and convinced her teacher that she would need at least ten. After a little cajoling Lorelai convinced her teacher to throw the time limit out the window as long as it was no less than five minutes. Gigi had spent weeks on her presentation collecting pictures from everyone with additional help from her mother who had said that she was going to have a Scrapbook made. On her day to present she walked into her classroom wearing a black sequined Kitson dress Stephanie had purchased for her the last time she'd been in Los Angeles and a suitcase full of items. She'd awed the class as she not only described her family, but showed mementos to back up why she considered them to be family.

"_I have a big family, probably the biggest one in here. For that I am very lucky." She paused the way her Mom had told her to before continuing, "I have two Moms. My birth mom lives in France. I see her sometimes, but not very often. My other Mom is named Lorelai and she is my big sister Rory's Mom. When I was five she married my Dad. I don't know why they didn't get married sooner. When I ask Rory she says they were too pigheaded. Anyway that's how I have two Moms. I also have three grandparents. Richard and Emily are actually Rory's grandparents, but just like Lorelai they treat me the same as her. My other grandma is my Dad's Mom Francine. She paints my toenails for me when I go visit her. That family is just my normal family though. I have another part of my family. They have been there for as long as I can remember. They are Rory and her husband Logan's best friends. Having them is like having ten big brothers and sisters." _

_She reached into her bag and pulled out the first picture. "This is Logan Huntzberger my brother-in-law. He is the editor of The Conscientious American which is this boring political magazine that adults read. He is teaching me how to play golf. He assures me that if we work hard enough I can be the next Michelle Wie. I'd rather be like Paula Creamer. She's fabulous. Before Rory met Logan she was good friends with a very quirky girl named Lane Kim. Lane is a drummer and is in a band with her husband Dave. You may have heard of them. Their band is called The Geeks. Maybe you've heard their hit song 'Donuts at Midnight'?" She grabs their CD out of her bag and shows it to the class. "They even thanked me as one of their inspirations. In high school Rory made another best friend. Her name is Paris Gellar." Gigi stopped again to pull out a picture of Jamie and Paris from their honeymoon. It was Gigi's favorite picture of Paris because she actually seemed relaxed. Rory always joked that Jamie must have tranquilized her when she wasn't looking. "Paris is a surgeon. For my birthday last year she let me come in and watch one of her surgeries from this balcony. While she may not be as fun Logan she comes in handy when you want to intimidate someone. Her husband's name is Jamie. He is far less intense and very funny. In addition he is one of the top securities lawyers in the state. The best thing about Jamie though is that he taught me how to manage my own fantasy football and baseball teams. Lets just say I'm awesome." _

_She laughed and fielded a question from a boy in the back as to who her starting quarterback was this year before continuing with her presentation. She fished out a picture from her dance recital last Christmas. "Stephanie, Colin, Finn, and Anne Marie are my sister's friend that she met because of Logan. They are very eccentric, but that is why I love them. Both Finn and Anne Marie are Australian. In fact their Mom's were Australian swimsuit models. I'm talking cover of Sports Illustrated swimsuit models. Anyway I was the flower girl in their wedding. I'm also their German Shepherd Jasper's godmother which is such an obvious choice since I gave him to them for their first anniversary. The best part though is that when Anne Marie gives birth to baby Ava I get to be the third one to hold her only after her parent's of course." She smiled as the class oohed and awed. "Stephanie and Colin are proof that opposites attract. Stephanie is like whoa. I mean she's the bomb. She bought me this dress a couple of weeks ago when she went to Los Angeles to buy clothes for her boutique. When people see us together they usually think I'm her daughter and she doesn't even get mad because she's like too young to be my mom. Instead she just smiles and says things like isn't she fab? As in aren't I such a fabulous kid. Her husband Colin is a nerd, but in a really good way. He works for the IRS and audits people. He also helps me with my math whenever I have trouble. The best thing he taught me to do though is count cards, but he made me promise that I wouldn't do it in Vegas when I got older because I'd get caught. He also lets me sit on his lap at the guys' monthly poker game." _

_She reached into her bag one last time and pulled out the picture from Logan and Rory's wedding which seemed like forever ago even though it was really only like two years ago. "This is my family all 13 members of it. My mom said that your family are the people you can count on to come save you when the chips are down. There's no doubt that I can count on all of these people to be there for me. Thanks." _

- - -

If Miles Maxwell had been in Gigi's class back then he would have known better than to break her heart. He would have fully understood why she had remained single until they got together their freshman year of high school despite her charm, good looks, and wit. She had warned him jokingly that if he ever broke her heart her "brothers" would break his face, but had he listened? No. Instead three weeks before he was supposed to be her escort at her debutante ball he'd stopped her after school saying that they needed to talk. He'd explained that he felt like they weren't clicking anymore. It seemed he wanted to break up. And worse it had been for another girl. And even worse than that it had not been for just any girl, but rather Keaton Somersby, Gigi's nemesis who it seemed Miles was going to escort at the Daughters of the American Revolution debutante ball. At first Gigi had been shocked and heartbroken. She'd thought the two of them had been clicking just fine. Well they'd been clicking on everything except the topic of sex. He wanted some and she wasn't ready to put out. Still other than that they'd been working on all cylinders. It didn't take long for heartbreak to turn to embarrassment and by the time she was sitting in her sister's living room surrounded by the younger generation of her family she was flat out pissed.

"Who the hell does this weasel think he is?" Rory had been shocked when she opened her front door and found a broken and tired Gigi standing there. It didn't take long for the petite blonde to fall apart in her arms. While Logan worked on calming her down Rory called an "emergency meeting". It hadn't taken more than twenty minutes for everyone to arrive despite their busy and often conflicting schedules.

Colin fumed. "I'll…I'll audit him."

"I'll have him black-balled from every club in the region. Hell I'll sic the gay mafia on his ass. Those bitches no how to hold a grudge. They don't forget." Finn mentally made a note to talk to his head bartender Timmy to set out the "hit".

"F-u-c-k the rainbow mafia I'll hit that b-i-t-c-h with a bottle." Anne Marie spelled the curse words out because Ava copied nearly everything she said. Just the other day at school Ava had announced that shit was hitting the fan. Of course the nuns at her parochial elementary school had not approved of this.

Before anyone else could throw out there what they were going to do Gigi held up her hands to stop them. "Thanks guy, but you don't have to do that. First though you mean the gay mafia is a real thing? I thought that Will and Grace were just like making that up."

Finn laughed. "So did I love until Timmy, our head bartender clued me in. It seems they are a little less "Goodfellas" and a little more "First Wives Club", but still they totally exist. David Geffen, not Elton John is actually their head though."

Leave it to Finn to have a story that would make Gigi fee a little less on edge. "Good to know. Still let's keep the Velveteers out of this until further notice. I don't need help getting back at him. I really at this point don't give a damn about him. I mean if he wants to contract crabs from Keaton's slutty ass that's fine with me. I don't care. My issue is this. I don't have a date now. My ball is in three weeks and I'm escortless. Now the problem isn't finding a new date. The problem is finding a date that will make Keaton jealous. He can't just be any guy. I have two days until I take my program picture. That doesn't leave ya'll much time to brainstorm."

"That means we're on the lookout for a guy no younger than sixteen no older than nineteen who looks as though he is a poster child for Andover. He needs to have good skin, be ultra charming; basically he needs to be a younger version of ourselves." Rory instructed the group.

"What if we don't trust a sixteen year old version of ourselves?" Jamie asked. He was only half kidding.

Paris rolled her eyes before smacking him playfully on the arm. "Deal with it. So when we find our suggestion how should we present him to you?"

"Her final dress fitting is tomorrow. Send your suggestion with all of his details to my store and we'll go from there." Stephanie advised the small assembled group. "And you better them good."

"What do we get if we find the perfect guy?" Colin asked curiously. He was always turning things into a competition.

"Uh my gratitude and the knowledge you totally saved the day." Gigi suggested lamely. She knew that wasn't going to be enough. She sighed at their as if looks. "Okay the thing is you don't all have kids so I can't offer my babysitting services and other than that I got nothing. You also totally get bragging rights? I mean come on you get to gloat that you saved the day and that you picked the best guy for me." She smiled when she saw them all sort of nod.

"Bragging rights it is." Logan announced after mulling it over. "And to make it better we'll all put something into a figurative pot like Rory and I will put in a trip to Belize. Whoever wins get the pot. Agreed?"

"Agreed," The group chorused in unison.

Gigi smiled gratefully at the twentysomethings she considered to be her life support. She wasn't sure what she would do without them. "Thanks guy. I better be on my way. Madame Bevier assigned us an essay on Roman de la Rose. I look forward to seeing the results of your hardwork tomorrow." She kissed each member of the group on the cheek before saying au revoir and making her leave.

- - -

Once Gigi was gone the group went back to fuming as how best to handle the little snot also known as Miles Maxwell. "I never liked the tool that's for sure." Logan had never been able to warm up to Miles. Maybe it was because he reminded him too much of other less than savory characters he had met during his boarding school days.

"I'm just happy she didn't have sex with him." Stephanie and Dave chorused at the same time.

"Do you really think she's okay?" Rory loved and cared for her little sister dearly. She was the closest thing she had to a daughter at this point in her life. "I mean heartbreak at this age is just so crushing."

The guys sat there not really sure what to say. Other than Jamie none of them had really ever experienced heartbreak before. If anything they were heartbreakers.

"I'm sure she'll be fine Rory especially if we can come up with a guy good enough to make her forget all about him." Jamie assured her.

"I still want to hit that b-i-t-c-h with a bottle." Anne Marie spat out. She sighed as she heard the antique grandfather clock chime. She looked at her watch. "We better get going. Ava has show and tell in the morning so she needs to get bed early so we can get her up on time. I'll bring our pick with me to the dress fitting." She stood up and blew air kisses to everyone in the room while Finn collected Ava.

"Love you all. Oh Dave I have a demo for a band that played at the bar a couple of weeks ago that I think you would like. Call me tomorrow and I'll send it over to your house with a messenger. Oh and may the best couple win."

They all laughed as they watched Finn and Anne Marie leave. They were the only couple with a child which was crazy considering that before getting married they were by far the most irresponsible couple. Still they had gotten their stuff together. They were adorable to say the least. Ava was the group's new Gigi. The little kid they could teach new things to.

"We better roll too. I have a quadruple bypass at nine."

Jamie helped Paris up. "Don't be too jealous of us when she picks our guy." He slung his arm around her shoulder. "We all know that Paris doesn't do anything, but win."

Paris didn't say anything, but shrug. She waved goodbye and then they were gone.

- - -

"Are you okay Ace?" Logan asked worriedly later as they laid in bed reading. She had been unusually quiet since everyone left.

Rory smiled sadly and shrugged. "I just heartbreak really sucks. Even though we didn't like Miles they were together for a very long time. And of all the people to two time her with Keaton Somersby. She's such a catty bitch." Rory sighed and paused. "It's just Gigi always pretends to be okay for the sake of everybody else, but she's a sixteen year old girl and I think she really loved Miles."

"She'll love our guy better." Logan assured her.

Rory couldn't help but smile at his confidence. "Do you have any ideas? We don't exactly know a plethora of teenaged boys."

"Actually I do have someone in mind. He's Josh's stepbrother. I think he goes to Choate or Deerfield. It's one of those two. Anyway I can ask Honor to send me a picture and some background information. Do you remember him?"

Rory nodded. "I think I vaguely do. Are we sure he'd be interested?"

"If not then Honor surely be willing to force him." Logan joked though he knew his statement was a fact. Honor was nothing if not persuasive.

"Thank god I was so worried we'd be the couple not to come up with someone." Rory admitted sheepishly. She kissed him softly on the cheek. "I love you MAC."

He grinned at her use of his old moniker. "I love you more." He glanced at the clock on her bedside table. "Now it's only eleven and we don't have to be up until eight so I was thinking we should probably spend our next hour usefully if you know what I mean."

"Oh yeah how do you suppose we do that?" Rory asked innocently.

"Well I figured we could work on making a little one." Logan whispered in her ear before kissing her softly on her temple. "We didn't get to last night." He reminded her. He smirked when frowned at the memory. "I take that as a yes."

Rory nodded and then began to gently trace circles around his belly button. For some reason it drove him crazy when she did that. What she didn't say was that she really was praying that she got pregnant soon. They'd been secretly trying for the last five months. Her doctor had assured them that it would more than likely take a few months because she'd been on the bill for over a decade. Still she was getting nervous. She stopped thinking about wanting a baby when his hand moved down her stomach and towards her nether regions. She wondered if he sensed her worry and was trying to distract her. When she looked in his eyes she found the answer she'd been expecting, yes.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THAT WAS THE FIRST CHAPTER OF A LONG AWAITED SEQUEL. I HOPE YOU LIKED IT. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS LET ME KNOW. THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS WILL MORE THAN LIKELY BE SHORTER BECAUSE THEY WILL BE MORE FOCUSED ON THE COUPLES AND THEIR ATTEMPTS TO FIND A PROPER ESCORT. ONCE I'M DONE INTRODUCING THE FOUR CHOICES YA'LL WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO PICK THE LUCKY GUY. THANKS FOR CHECKING THIS OUT. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. ONCE AGAIN A SPECIAL THANKS TO LACEY FOR ENCOURAGING ME TO WRITE THIS. – KriSTiNE. **


	2. James Bradshaw

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS CHAPTER IS GOING TO BE PRIMARILY ABOUT LOGAN AND RORY'S GUY. I TOTALLY HOPE YOU LIKE HIM. TO SEE WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE CHECK OUT MY PROFILE. **

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE FABULOUS ANNE MARIE. BUT IF I DID OWN GG SHE WOULD HAVE SO SAID YES. **

**CHAPTER TWO: JAMES BRADSHAW**

- - -

At a quarter to seven the sun pouring through the main window on their bedroom causes Logan to stir. He sighs not really wanting to be awake yet. For a few minutes he just lays there with Rory in his arms. He decides to take time to enjoy the new shampoo she has been using. It's a fancy organic one from a boutique downtown that makes her hair smell like wildflowers. After a few more minutes of just laying there he kisses her bare shoulder tenderly and then gets out of bed as quietly as possible so as not to disturb a still sleeping Rory. He grabs his boxers off of the floor and pulls them back on before heading downstairs to their kitchen to put some coffee on. This is what he does nearly every morning as long as he isn't on a business trip. He puts a pot of coffee on for the two of them, grabs their three morning papers off of their front stoop, and then pours them each a bowl of cereal. He does it so that she can get at least a few more minutes of peace and quiet. It's not secret that he thinks Rory has far too much on her plate. She is always doing something for someone. He figures this is the least he could do for her. He places their small breakfast on a tray and tucks the papers under his arm before heading upstairs. He smiles when he finds her checking her Blackberry. "Morning Ace," he greets as he sets the tray down on the bed before crawling in to join her. He loves the way she looks right now. Her hair is mussed from their late night activities. She's got their Egyptian cotton sheets wrapped around her, but it's obvious she's naked beneath them. He relishes the soft kiss she places on his cheek as she grabs the Globe from his lap.

They sit there not saying much of anything. They're both wrapped up in their respective newspapers. It almost seems as though the outside world doesn't exist. Their sitting so close together that their hips and knees are touching. This was their definition of intimacy.

"Every week they change their minds on that poor Matt Cassel. One week they love him and the next their moaning about how much they miss Tom Brady." Rory announces once she's finally done with the Globe. She doesn't understand sports, but she loves reading what the columnists have to say. "If I were him I'd just give them the finger especially that Dan Shaugnessy character."

Logan just smirks. If he were to write down a list of reasons why he loved Rory this would be one of them, the fact that she reads the sports section of the Globe because she loves newspapers that much. "So are the pro-Matt his week or anti-Matt?"

"Pro. It seems he did a great job. They can't get over the fact that the Patriots are still in contention for a playoff spot despite the fact that Tom's out. Oh and they were making jokes about how bad Raiders fan must hate Randy Moss." Rory explains.

Logan had seen footage of Randy telling Oakland fans get to his name right the other day on NESN. There were days he wished he could do that. It looked amusing. "Well maybe they'll stay off of his back for a week."

"Doubt it."

"What's on your agenda today?" He asks as he gets out of bed. He motions for her to follow him so they can continue their conversation in the shower. This way they could be green and spend a little more time together.

Rory sighs not wanting to think about the busy day she has ahead of her. "You go first. I want to pretend to not have any responsibilities for like five more minutes." She relishes the feeling of hot water pouring over her and the way he pulls her closer to him.

"Well lets see I have a meeting at 9:30 with a Chilean businessman, an interview with a prospective editor at 11:00, a photo shoot for Forbes at 12:30 and then a meeting with the guys in accounting at 2:00." That's all Logan does all day. He meets with one person after the other. Nearly every meeting consisted of a guy or sometimes a girl kissing his ass. He misses his days when he used to edit The Conscientious American. He misses talking about politics. He misses writing.

Rory sighs as he gently massages some shampoo into her scalp. It is moments like this that make her wonder why people bother taking showers on their own. "Don't forget you have to call Honor about Josh's brother. There is no way we can show up without a possible escort."

"Don't worry I'll call her on my way to work cause that's right after her morning yoga class." Logan assures her as he turns around so she can wash off his back. "That also reminds me I'm going to remove the gag order on negative press about Simon Maxwell."

"What do you mean gag order?"

Logan groans knowing that she is going to give him hell once she finds out what he had done when Gigi first started dating Miles Maxwell. "When Miles and Gigi first got together it was a turbulent time in Simon's career. I figured the least we could do is get our papers off of his back so I issued a gag order. Basically if they didn't have anything nice to say then they weren't to say anything at all."

"You didn't seriously do that. I mean that's censorship Logan." Rory points out angrily.

"I know, but I mean the last thing I wanted is for our papers to ruin her relationship. Anyway I'll have Annette inform all of the papers that Simon Maxwell can be bashed as much as they want."

"What if they want to praise him?"

Logan scoffs. "Simon's done little to earn praise. Still if they want to praise him I guess that'd be alright."

"You know he's going to kill Miles right?" Rory can't begin to imagine how pissed Simon is going to be when he sees the front page of every paper in the region. Something tells her that Logan's little gag order is going to lead to some pretty angry articles being put out there by his reporters who are tired of being silenced.

"The kid has it coming. He's just lucky we aren't letting Anne Marie come after him with a bottle. You know she's crazy enough to do it Ace." Logan points out. He's happy that she didn't really light into him.

Rory laughs. "I need you to promise me something."

"Okay."

Rory turns around so she can look him in the eyes. "In the future promise me that you won't censor anyone one just because it makes Gigi's life easier."

Logan smirks at her. "I promise."

"Good now bend down so I can wash your hair. I'm sure we're running late."

"You never told me what you had on your agenda today." Logan points out as he obliges her by bending down.

"Lots of editing until twelve which is when I'm meeting with a rapper named Mickey Avalon for lunch. He's our cover for this month." Rory loves the magazine she worked for. It is a small one, but it's special. They cover everything from fashion to world news to sports and politics. Because of her job she's met everyone from Caroline Kennedy to Chuck Liddell. "And then I've got the final dress fitting with the girls."

"I'm jealous." Logan admits once she finishes. "You get to do all of these exotic things and I have to talk to boring about boring things."

Rory kisses him softly on the cheek before turning off the water and getting out of the shower. "You know if you wanted to go C.A. would welcome you back with open arms."

"I know, but I mean my family needs me and-"

"And it's always been your destiny." Rory supplies for him. She knows he resents having to be in charge of his families' company. Still she can't help but admire the fact that he is being the adult his father always hoped he'd be. There were times when even she wondered if he would ever really outgrow the recklessness of his youth. She supposed that the change came when he was working in London. When he came back he was older than he'd been before. He slowed down. He went to bed early. She clasps the small silver watch he gave her as a congratulatory present for being promoted to Assistant Editor at Stripe around her thin wrist. "Shit we're later than usual."

- - -

"Do my eyes deceive me or is it really my little brother taking time out of his busy schedule to call me?" Honor asks sweetly as she sits in her chair getting a pedicure.

Logan rolls his eyes. "I call you."

"Yeah you call if you need something so go ahead ask me for a favor." She smirks because she knows she's flustering him.

"Hey that's not fair. I don't always call because I need a favor."

"Oh no, so your not calling because you need something from me?"

Logan takes a deep breath before admitting that yes he does need a favor. "It should be pointed out that the favor is not so much for me, but really for Rory and Gigi."

"Oh really Gigi needs a favor from me?"

"Yeah Miles broke up with her yesterday and as we both know her debutante ball is in three weeks. Not only did he break up with her, but he said he was escorting another girl. We're all coming up with a suitable possible escort. Seeing as I don't know many teenagers I figured that maybe Josh's brother would be a good option." Logan explains as he sits in traffic. He really hopes that he isn't late for his meeting.

"You know it never occurred to me that James and Gigi would be good together. I mean he's only a year older than her. He's such a sweetheart. Really your timing couldn't be better because he's on the verge of breaking up with his skank girlfriend Pamela." When Honor says on the verge she's exaggerating a little bit. Okay a lot. She's trying hard to convince him that he can do better. Gigi Hayden is significantly better than Pamela. "What do you need from me?"

Logan smiles at her willingness to help, but knows all too well that she's probably not being as generous as it seems. "Let me guess James and Pamela are totally going strong, but you want to change that?"

"I sounded too nice didn't I? Damn it. Yes they're going strong, but I know that Gigi can convince him to change that situation." Honor admits sheepishly.

"Email me a picture of him and then I mean he's a nice kid right?" He resists the urge to say that he only vaguely remembers James.

Honor grins at how protective of Gigi Logan is. "He's a really good kid. He goes to Choate. He's maintained a 3.7 GPA. Uh he's already been accepted to Brown, Yale, and Harvard. Oh and most importantly he's funny, normal, and a lot like you except far less reckless."

"Awesome just send a picture and I'll let you know."

"What do you mean you'll let me know?"

"Well Gigi's going to be the one who actually picks the guy. There are five couples and we'll each present her with an option. You may want to know you know give him a heads up that his services might be needed."

Honor can't help but frown. "So you mean there's a chance she won't pick him?"

"Well yeah I mean Stephanie and Colin are sure to come up with a hot model type. Lane and Dave are going to produce a cute and soulful musician. Paris and Jamie will find a nerdy and funny guy a la Seth Cohen. And last but not least Finn and Anne Marie are going to find some exotic and charming rogue. It's going to be stiff competition. Hopefully because James is normal he'll win, but you know there's no guarantees."

"That sucks. Present him well. Okay?"

"I will."

"Cause Pamela is such a skank."

"I know."

"I love you Logan. I'll email you a picture as soon as my pedi is done."

"Thanks sis. Love you too."

Honor sighs as she hangs up the phone with Logan. She sends Josh a text to let him know that they may have found an answer to all of their troubles. She just knew that James was the right guy for Gigi.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: AH! I UPDATED ALREADY. ARE YOU SURPRISED? I MADE SURE I GOT THIS OUT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. THANKS FOR TUNING BACK IN. I HOPE THAT YOU ENJOYED IT. QUICK REMINDER IF YOU WANT TO SEE WHO I HAD IN MIND WHEN I CAME UP WITH 'JAMES BRADSHAW' CHECK OUT MY PROFILE. I'LL HAVE A PICTURE OF HIM UP THERE. ONCE I'M DONE INTRODUCING THE FIVE POSSIBLE ESCORTS YA'LL WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO PICK WHO YOU THINK GIGI SHOULD CHOOSE. PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. – KRiSTiNE. **


	3. Ben Chapman

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS CHAPTER IS ABOUT PARIS AND JAMIE'S GUY. I HOPE YOU LIKE HIM. THANKS FOR TUNING BACK IN. **

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE FABULOUS ANNE MARIE. BUT IF I DID OWN GG SHE WOULD HAVE SO SAID YES. **

**CHAPTER THREE: BEN CHAPMAN**

- - -

Paris can't help but smile appreciatively as Jamie sets a bowl of pasta down on her desk. She loves the fact that not only can he cook, but he actually enjoys it. She moans quietly as soon as she takes her first bite.

"You like?" Jamie asks though he already knows the answer. He's sitting in his usual spot in her office, the small loveseat they'd discovered while on their honeymoon. Paris had loved the loveseat so much that Jamie had no choice but to buy it and have it shipped to the states so that it could go in her office.

"I love. Is this a Rachael Ray recipe or a Paula Dean?"

"Actually neither, it's an Ina Garten recipe. You know the Barefoot Contessa? Lainey found it for me." Lainey is Jamie's assistant and has been for close to five years. He often jokes that if it weren't for her the firm would have fired him a long time ago.

Paris doesn't say anything, but rather just nods and continues eating. This is their usual routine. She reads medical journals while he watches television, more often than not C-SPAN to be exact. Most guys would resent her for being so wrapped up in her career. They'd complain about the fact that they hadn't had children yet and she was always willing to put in extra hours at the hospital, but not Jamie. He understood just how much her career meant to her, but that didn't mean it meant more to her than he did. Likewise when he had a big case at the office and had to work long hours she not only understood it, but often would bring him takeout from his favorite restaurants. She'd recently run in to Doyle by chance at a lecture one of her colleagues was giving. He'd looked haggard and after talking to him for a few moments she discovered he was married with two kids and was living in Philadelphia. Paris has never been one to put much stock in fate, but she did reluctantly admit to Lane, Rory, Stephanie, and Anne Marie later that her encounter with Doyle may have nearly persuaded her. James is certainly the only man who could put up with someone as high strung and intense as Paris.

"Have you thought about who we're going to nominate to be Gigi's escort? I mean neither one of us knows very many teenagers, especially teenaged boys." Jamie asks after the episode of Cold Case he's watching reminds him of their task.

Paris frowns as she sets the journal she's been reading down. "I just assumed you would have a cousin around her age. I mean don't you have like thirty of them."

Jamie rolls his eyes. She's always exaggerating when it comes to the size of his family. "I have like fifteen cousins, but none that her age. I'm the youngest male in my family outside of my nephews."

"Shit. What about young interns? Don't you have some teenagers working in the mail room?"

Jamie gets up off the loveseat and walks over to her where she is sitting. He can tell she's on the verge of panicking. He kneels down in front of her and grabs her hands. "It's going to be okay Paris don't panic. Okay? Just breathe."

"I just…I mean…we just can't not come up with someone. There has to be someone." Paris asserts.

"I'll call Lainey and see if she has any ideas. I'm sure she'll come up with something. She always does."

Paris nods. She slowly can feel herself calming down. "Good idea. You should go ahead and call her now before it gets too late. You don't want to wake Allie up."

Jamie kisses her softly on the cheek before going into the other room to call Lainey. Despite the fact that he seemed confident when telling Paris his plans inside he's nervous that Lainey is going to deliver bad news.

Ten minutes later Jamie has no idea what they are going to do. Lainey explained that while there are youngish guys who work in the mail room most of them are burnouts. He decides though to lie to Paris and tell her that Lainey knew of the perfect guy for them to suggest because he wants her to get a good night's sleep before her surgery in the morning. If Paris is stressed not even a bottle of sleeping pills can knock her out.

"What'd she say?" Paris asks hopefully when he returns.

Jamie smiles as best as he can. "She's pretty sure there is a guy who fits the bill that works in our mailroom. She's going to grill him tomorrow."

"Oh thank god."

"I know what you mean, but now that that is settled we should probably go to bed. You have surgery in the morning and I have the usual boring paperwork waiting for me."

Jamie lets out a sigh of relief when he realizes that Paris has fallen fast asleep. He figures if anything there has to be at least one secretary in the office with a son who is decent looking enough for them to choose. At this point he doesn't mind losing as long as they have a suggestion.

- - -

Most mornings when Paris has a surgery scheduled she has tunnel vision. All she can think about and focus on is the task at hand. This morning was different though. For some reason she actually stopped at the coffee cart and bought a coffee and muffin. It was while she was waiting for the impossibly slow girl who was running the car that she saw him. She opened her phone and dialed her home phone number.

Jamie groans when he hears the phone start to ring. He opens his right eye to see what time it is before rolling over and grabbing the noisy contraption. He doesn't have to look at the caller ID to know its Paris calling. "Morning honey is everything okay?"

Paris looks at her watch and cringes when she sees that it's only 7:05, a full hour before he usually would wake up. "Yeah I'm sorry Jamie I just I got excited and I didn't even think about how early it was for you."

"You got excited? About what?"

Paris' looks across the room and finds him standing at the nurses' station chatting with a young blonde one whose name she can't remember. "I found our guy. He's perfect and yeah. So you don't have to have Lainey track that guy in the mailroom down."

"Really? What's he like? What's his name? Who is he?" Jamie lets out a sigh of relief. It feels like a weight has been taken off his shoulders. Still he can't help but wonder who this random guy is that Paris has seemingly plucked out of nowhere.

"I have no idea the answer to any of those questions except he works here. He looks like a college kid so I'm guessing this is a part time job for him. I don't know. All I know is he's perfect." Paris assures him.

"Okay well just text me once you actually talk to him. Okay?"

"Okay. Yeah I'll definitely do that. I'm sorry I woke you."

"It's no problem. Good luck with the surgery."

"Thanks. I love you Jamie."

"I love you too Par."

Once she's off the phone she doubles her order. She's not sure how she's going to approach him, but she knows she has to. He's chatting with the same blonde nurse as before who according to her nametag is named Kimmie. Now that she's closer she can tell that he isn't chatting with her as much as being forced to listen to her moan about her bad date last night. "Excuse me," she reads his nametag quickly once she has his attention, "Mr. Chapman I was told you wanted to talk to me about maybe viewing my quadruple bypass today."

Ben was sure that his eyeballs almost popped out of his head when he saw that it was none other than Dr. Gellar-Davis saving him for a boring conversation with Kimmie, his least favorite nurse. If this hospital was Grey's Anatomy she would definitely be the Miranda Bailey of surgery. She was a hard ass, but was fair and a great surgeon. While not everyone liked her they sure as hell respected her. While he was interested in viewing her surgery he had not expressed this interest to anyone else. "Yes, yes I would like to talk to you about that."

"Okay well follow me and we'll talk in my office."

Ben nods and follows her. Everything about this moment feels surreal. "Dr. Gellar-Davis?"

"Yes?" Paris asks never stopping to turn around, but rather just plowing ahead.

"Is there something going on here? I mean we've never talked before. I'm not even sure how you know my name. Not to say that I'm not flattered that you would even consider allowing me to observe your quadruple bypass today."

"I'll explain everything once we reach my office." Paris assures him.

Ben doesn't say anything, but just follows her into the elevator. He sits down in the chair she has signaled is for him. He thanks her for the muffin and coffee and then patiently awaits an explanation.

"How are you old Ben?"

"I'll be nineteen in a couple of months." Ben answers. His confusion is made obvious by his tone.

Paris nods thoughtfully. "So I assume you are in college."

"Yes I go to Yale."

"That's good. Very good." She jots this information down on a sheet of paper.

"Dr. Gellar-Davis?"

"Please call me Paris."

"Okay um Paris not to sound paranoid but you never answered my question earlier." He tries to sound as respectful as possible.

"Oh yes I'm sorry about that." Paris stops writing and sets down her pen. She looks at the small clock on her computer and realizes she needs to hurry up. She has an hour until she needs to start prepping for her surgery. "I have a situation Ben. My best friend has a younger sister who's sixteen and goes to Chilton. The other day her boyfriend broke up with her for a girl she doesn't get along with. Now I know your wondering why I'm telling you all of this." Before he can even nod or acknowledge that he was in fact confused Paris continues explaining her predicament. "In three weeks she has her debut. Well because of Miles she is dateless. My friends and I have decided that we'll each find a potential suitor. Now I'm sure you know of my reputation for being a bit well intense. As you can imagine that doesn't bode well for me being on friendly terms with many boys your age. Anyway to sum it up will you be willing to maybe be Gigi's escort?"

Ben is shocked to say the least. "Uh so to just make sure I understand you correctly you would like me to escort your best friend's high school sister at her debutante ball?"

"Actually you would potentially be her escort. Ultimately she'll pick between five choices. Almost like that game show the dating game or whatever. You'd be like bachelor number three." Paris can sense his reluctance and starts to panic. She logs onto her computer to pull up a picture figuring that if he sees what she looks like he may be more apt to go along. She smiles when she finds the picture she knew would change his mind. It's from the group's last trip to the Cape. Gigi is wearing this sundress and a scarf in her hair. It's a candid shot so her mouth is wide open in laughter. Still her beauty is obvious. She turns the monitor so that he can see what she is looking at. "This is Gigi."

Ben's jaw drops just slightly when he sees Gigi. Never in a million years was he expecting her to be as his roommate Elton would so eloquently say a "dime". "The one with the scarf in her hair is Gigi?"

Paris nods. "Beautiful isn't she?"

"Is this some sort of competition?"

"Yeah I mean sort of. There's a pot and we're each putting something in like there's a weekend trip to Belize up for grabs"

"Do you hate Belize or something?"

Paris laughs not sure she understands his meaning. "No. Why?"

"Cause there is no way a girl like that is going to pick a guy like me." Ben understands that while he's a nice guy and not completely unfortunate looking, he's not the kind of guy girls of his social status go after.

"Well we'll just have to make sure that your portfolio is a good one. Anyway we better wrap this up for now. Did you actually want to observe?" Paris asks with a smile. She's so happy she was able to convince him.

Ben grins and nods furiously. "That'd be awesome."

"Okay good. We'll talk more after the surgery." Paris stands up and begins to make her way to the patients' room. She stops when she's halfway down the hallway. She turns around and calls his name to get his attention. "Thank you Ben. Just know even if she doesn't pick you, you're set for life okay. Anything you want to be I know someone who can give a stellar recommendation. Banking, law, journalism, medicine, anything."

Ben can't wipe the smile off of his face when he returns to the nurses' station. Not even the fact that Kimmie is still there can dampen his spirits. He finds an intern waiting for him when he walks into the observation room. Much to his surprise the intern is holding a camera and a pad of paper. When he asks what all of it's for he finds out that it's for her portfolio. He's pleasantly surprised at the picture which doesn't make him seem nearly as nerdy as he usually feels. Maybe just maybe he actually has a shot.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING THIS CHAPTER. I HOPE YOU LIKED IT. NOW WE KNOW TWO OF THE BACHERLORS. JUST LIKE BACHELOR NUMBER ONE JAMES BRADSHAW YOU CAN GO TO MY PROFILE AND CHECK OUT BACHELOR NUMBER TWO ALSO KNOWN AS BEN CHAPMAN. IF THERE IS ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SEE PLEASE JUST LET ME KNOW AND I'LL BE GLAD TO ATTEMPT TO INCORPORATE IT FOR YOU. WE HAVE THREE MORE BACHELOR'S TO INTRODUCE SO YOU CAN PICK WHO COMES NEXT WHETHER IT BE STEPHANIE & COLIN'S, LANE & DAVE'S, OR THE ALWAYS HUMOROUS FINN & ANNE MARIE. JUST REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW. THANKS AGAIN. LOVE YA'LL. – KRiSTiNE.**


	4. Rhys Channing

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS CHAPTER IS ABOUT FINN AND ANNE MARIE'S FELLA. I HOPE YOU LIKE HIM. THANKS FOR TUNING BACK IN. **

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE FABULOUS ANNE MARIE. BUT IF I DID OWN GG SHE WOULD HAVE SO SAID YES. **

**CHAPTER FOUR: RHYS CHANNING**

- - -

Ava was definitely the apple of her parent's eye. For the most part she was a well-behaved and sweet little girl especially considering her parent's reputation. Though she spoke with an American accent she often used Australian terms for things, a source of irritation for her strict teacher Sister Ann-Margaret. She had Finn's charm and Anne Marie's looks. She was adorable to say the least which is why Finn could never deny her anything. If it weren't for Anne Marie he wasn't sure if the girl would have even heard the word no before let alone understand its meaning. It was his responsibility to help her pick out what she was going to bring in for show and tell while Anne Marie chatted with her friend Liza about a possible escort for Gigi. She was determined to find someone exotic as opposed to the average New England prep school kid you could find on every corner. Just like she did every week Ava tried to convince them to allow her to bring Sinatra, their ten year old German Shepherd despite the fact that every week they explained to her that Sinatra was not used to children and may do something mean and uncharacteristic. "Ava love why don't you bring Tottie?"

Ava shook her head no furiously. "Samantha Powers brought her turtle, Ranger last week. I need something better. I want to bring something exotic like me." She declared and then asked, "Can I bring my surfboard?"

Finn laughed. "Let's save your surfboard for another time. It's a little big to take into class." Finn almost broke when he saw her little lip start to quiver. He grinned though when he came up with the perfect item. "I've got an idea. How about you bring some vegemite? That way you can share it with your classmates. Vegemite is very exotic. You never see any of your Aunts and Uncles eating it. Do you?" He smiled when she shook her head no. "Only cool people like us enjoy the magic of a vegemite sandwich."

Ava giggled. She'd seen Uncle Dave try it once and the face he made after one bite was hilarious to say the least. She didn't understand how they didn't think it was as delicious as she did.

"Okay now that we've figured out what you're going to bring in the morning I think it's time for bed."

Ava groaned. "But Daddy I'm so awake."

Finn couldn't help but smile because of how much Ava favored Anne Marie sometimes. "How about I tell you a story? Will that help you fall asleep?"

"Don't they always?"

He chuckles at her vocabulary. She's too smart for her own good. Then again she doesn't hang out with many kids. She'd rather spend time with her aunts and uncles that go on play dates with children from school. "What kind of story would you like me to tell you?"

"Tell me a love story and make it a good one."

Finn groaned. "A love story? I don't know any love stories. How about I tell you a funny story? You love my funny stories."

Ava countered with a resounding no. "You asked me what I wanted and I want a love story Daddy."

"Alright I'll tell you a love story." Finn sat there for a second and came up with one he figured would be appropriate for her. "Once upon a time there was a bubbly girl who had to use the bathroom. She knew she would cause her friends to be late, but she didn't care. She also knew she looked crazy because she was wearing a gorilla mask, but didn't think anyone would see her. Well the blonde let's just call her…Bethany. Well Bethany was wrong because when she emerged from the stall she ran into a beautiful brunette with porcelain skin. What Bethany didn't realize was that by using that bathroom that night and running into the brunette, let's just refer to her as…Lorie she just changed many, many lives." Finn knew she would see through this as a guise for an original tale. The names were far too similar still that LDB event that Rory went to changed everything. Sometimes when he allowed himself to think deeply Finn wondered if that one moment was the reason he was a father. Had it not been for Rory and Logan falling in love he highly doubted he would have ever allowed himself to fall for Anne Marie. God did he love that woman. She was irrational, wild, and reckless, but she was also beautiful, enchanting, and caring. Most importantly she loved him for who he was. Unlike his parents she didn't expect him to go work the family business. When he expressed interest in owning and operating a bar she not only supported the idea, but she pushed it. That night when Rory and Stephanie met by chance had you have told him that he would one day be married with a daughter living in a Hartford suburb he would have surely laughed in your face and asked where he could get whatever you'd been smoking.

"Why?"

Finn grinned. "Because you see Lorie was very curious and inquisitive as well as determined to get to the bottom of things. When she saw Bethany in that mask instead of chalking it up to drunken rebelliousness she investigated things and that investigation lead her to a handsome, but lazy peer named Hogan. After a lot pleading she convinced Hogan to allow her to tag along to the next event and boy was she in for a surprise." Finn smiled at the sheer memory of how in awe of everything Rory had been when they first arrived. It was strange to him how a girl of such good breeding could feel like such a fish out of water around her peers. "You see Lorie's family had money, but she grew up very middle class. She lived in a small town. She even at one point went to a public high school." He laughed when Ava's eyes got big. "So imagine her surprise when after being blindfolded to ensure the sacredness of the event she saw a beautiful and impressive soiree with white tents and people in funny costumes. And people who were impossible and spoke without using e's. And well let's just say she felt very much like a fish out of water. And still she observed because she knew that the lack of e's and the cold shoulders would all be made worth it the next day when got to witness the big event."

Ava frowned. "Why did they give her the cold shoulder?"

"Because she was a reporter, an outsider, and they didn't know if they could trust her." He waited to see if she was going to ask anything else. "Now in the morning a certain devilishly handsome man was rendered out of commission. He partied a wee bit too much and when the group needed someone to fill his spot for the big event an awesome jump off of a very high platform imagine Lorie's surprise when Hogan opened it up to her."

"_And Finn was supposed to do it, but few of us figured he'd make it this far, so there's an extra space." Logan hinted. _

"_Hmm," she can't help but think that not jumping is in Finn's best interest. She looked up and smiled when she saw that way he was looking at her with those deep chocolate brown eyes, "No!"_

_Logan sensed her reasoning against it, "And we're not going to die. No one in the Life and Death Brigade has ever died. Old ones have."_

_Rory was not about to back down. "I am not going to jump!"_

_Seth walked up, "We're all set."_

_Logan wrapped his arm around the other man. "This is Seth; he's the genius behind all this."_

_Seth grinned at the beautiful, brunette. "It's very safe. We did a dozen successful test drops; every potato came through without a scratch."_

"_Potato?" Rory asked in disbelief. _

_Logan smirked. "You can't test using people, that'd be dangerous!"_

"_Look, thanks for the offer, but I'm here as a journalist. An observer. Journalists do not participate."_

"_Since when?"_

"_Since forever."_

"_Bill Buford lived with soccer hooligans in Among the Thugs. Ernie Pyle was so deep in the action in World War II, he was killed by a Japanese sniper, not that you gotta go that far." Logan countered._

_"Buford, Pyle. I know."_

_Logan wasn't done. "Richard Hottelet was four months in a Nazi prison working for the U.P. Hunter Thompson lived with the Hell's Angels. Got in the muck, didn't just orbit around it, and it drove his writing. He put you in those biker's parties. He put you in those biker's heads."_

_Rory sighed deeply. "All right, all right, so, those guys participated. I got it, but I -" _

"_You're scared." Logan stated;_

"_Well, yeah!" Rory concurred as though it was obvious._

"_And that stops the greats?"_

"_It's stopping this great!"_

"_Come on, you look like you need a little adventure." Logan pleaded. _

"_What does that mean?" Her indignation at his statement as was obvious. _

_Logan explained as delicately as he could. "You're just a little sheltered."_

"_Why? Because I haven't spent time in a Nazi prison, been stomped on by hooligans and beat up by Hell's Angels?"_

"_It'll be fun, it'll be a thrill. Something stupid, something bad for you. Just something different. Isn't this the point of being young? It's your choice, Ace. People can live a hundred years without really living for a minute. You climb up here with me; it's one less minute you haven't lived." Logan propositioned Rory. His ever present smirk plastered on his face as he watched her weigh her options. Most girls he would have walked away. Hell most girls he probably wouldn't even have invited up with him. His smirk somehow grew bigger as he saw her slowly start to agree with him. _

_Rory glanced up at the massive structure and then before she could change her mind she nodded. "Let's go."_

_Logan's face lit up. Deep down he hadn't been convinced that he would change her mind. "Let's go!"_

_Rory face shook a little as she climbed up. In the back of her mind she was aware that he could see up her dress. Normally that would have mattered to her. "But I am not a fan of ladders."_

_Logan smirked. "They scare the crap out of me, too."_

_Rory gulped as she attempted not to look down. "High. We are very high."_

"_I've been higher."_

"_I meant distance from the ground."_

"_That, too," Logan chuckled. Her sarcasm caught him off guard. _

_Seth sensed her hesitance when he reached the end of the platform to where Rory and Logan were waiting. "This is totally safe. And it goes with your outfit. Nice." He wrapped the band around her waist. _

_Rory pointed down to the crowd. "Why do they look so worried?"_

"_We're low on champagne. You can back out, you know. No one's forcing you." _

"_I know." Everything inside of her told her that she should climb back down, but she didn't. Instead she grabbed the umbrella._

_Logan looked at her and smiled. "You trust me?"_

"_You jump, I jump, Jack."_

_The crowd below them chanted, "In Omnia Paratus!"_

"_I really should have confirmed that those potatoes were okay." Logan replied before grabbing her hand. The whole five seconds they were falling he thought not about how crazy this stunt was, but rather how soft her hand felt. He glanced at her once they reached the ground and smiled when he saw how happy she looked. "You did good, Ace!"_

"_Once in a lifetime experience!" Rory could not contain her excitement. Never in her life had she dreamed she would do something nearly this crazy._

"_Only if you want it to be," Logan stated and he wondered if she understood just how much deeper his meaning was. _

Finn smiled when he saw her eyes grow droopy. Telling the story of how Rory had come to agree to jump off the platform had not only been difficult, but had required him to remember Stephanie's recounting of the tale at Rory and Logan's wedding. Still it had been worth it to see the way her face lit up after each twist and turn. He slowly got up and kissed her softly on the forehead. "I love you Ava."

"I love you too Daddy." She mumbled.

"I'll see you tomorrow afternoon after you get home from school. Maybe we can go for ice cream?"

"Awesome." She rolled over onto her side so as to face him. "Daddy?"

"Yes love?"

"Is that why you, Uncle Logan, and Uncle Colin went to that party the Gilmore's threw for Rory?"

Finn smiled. "Yes it is. How do you know about that?"

"Aunt Rory told me when I asked her why Lorelai calls you guys her favorite limo boys." Ava explained. "Night Daddy, I liked your story. It was funny how different it was from the version Aunt Rory told me."

He grinned and told her good night one more time before turning off the light and heading down the hallway to his bedroom. He should have known that Rory would have already told her the story. It had in fact been the one that got her the editor position at the Yale Daily News. He smiled when he walked in and found Anne Marie bouncing up and down on the bed with a bottle of champagne in her right hand.

"It's about time you finished putting her to bed." Anne Marie had been waiting as patiently as possible. She'd had to resist the urge to go interrupt his story time to tell him the good news, but she knew that if she did they'd never get Ava to bed.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I had to tell her a story and she wanted a romantic one. You know how bad I am at telling romantic stories."

Anne Marie frowned. "What did you tell her?"

"About the time Rory game to the LDB event and Logan fell head over heels for her." Finn pulled his shirt off and tossed it in the hamper.

"Why didn't you tell her one about us?"

"We don't have romantic stories?"

"Yes we do what about that one time we-" She stopped though when she realized where that story would lead. She tried to come up with one romantic story, but couldn't seem to.

Finn smirked. "See what I mean? We inspire funny stories not romantic ones. Well at least not ones that we can relate to our child. Still what has you jumping up and down on the bed while holding a bottle of champagne?"

Anne Marie's face brightened noticeably when he reminded her of the good news she had to share. "I've found the perfect escort for Gigi! I mean never in my wildest dreams did I think I would find somebody as awesome as he is."

Finn motioned for her to continue.

"Well I called my mum to see if she had any suggestions because Liza was useless and she mentioned that Delia had at one point lived around her and that she thought she had a son who went to Kensington, but she wasn't sure. Do you remember Delia; she used to hang out with our mum's when we were younger?" Anne Marie was not surprised by the blank look on his face. "She was the Welsh supermodel with a very annoying voice?"

"Oh the blonde with the huge chest that would have saved Jack had she been in the water with him during Titanic?"

Anne Marie rolled his eyes. Sometimes Finn was such a boy. "Yes that would be Delia."

"I thought she had two daughters our age. One of them looked just like a red haired Anna Kournikova." He left out the part that he always grunted like Maria Sharapova in bed.

"She does, but she also has a son named Rhys. It seems that she divorced the girl's dad and ended up getting married to Brody Channing. Do you remember him? He won Australia an Olympic gold medal in diving when we were like thirteen or something. Anyway they used to live in Boston, but last year they decided to move to California. Rhys didn't want to join them and instead opted to attend Kensington. Mum said Delia described as very east coast that way." Anne Marie rambled.

"Do we even know what he looks like?" Finn asked skeptically.

Anne Marie shook her head no, "But mum assured me that Brody was hot to trot in his youth and that according to everyone who knows Rhys he's his doppelganger. He's also supposedly an awesome diver in his own right, fluent in Welsh, and attractive enough to model. He doesn't though because he doesn't see the appeal much to Delia's irritation. He rows, has an A in history, and has an Australian accent. He's like a hunkier Hugh Grant. Any more questions Mr. Skeptical?"

"One more, how do we know he's even willing to do this?"

"Mum sent Delia a picture of Gigi who emailed it to Rhys whose reply was literally one word, damn." Anne Marie assured him and then started to bounce up and down on the bed. "We're going to win! Let's celebrate!" Anne Marie worked on opening the champagne bottle. "I need to buy a new swimsuit if we're going to Belize. My ass is far too huge for my old one."

"Your ass is plump, not huge." He held up his hands to shush her before she lit into him for describing anything about her as plump. "But in a good way like J. Lo not Kirstie Alley. Still not to be a party-pooper but you have to take Ava to school in the morning and she'll kill us if she's late for show and tell or worse if she misses it. Do you really think drinking champagne is a wise way to celebrate love?" Finn asked with a resigned sigh. He dreaded moments like this when he had to be a responsible adult.

"What if we just have one glass?"

"We can never just have one glass. Don't you remember how we used to treat champagne like water? One will turn into two which will turn into three which will lead to a very pissed off and disappointed Ava."

Anne Marie groaned knowing he was right. She stopped jumping up and down and placed the bottle of champagne on her nightstand. "Why didn't we hire a nanny like normal rich people our age?"

"Because we resented our parents for hiring them," Finn reminded her as he walked around the bed to kiss her on the forehead. Once he reached her he enveloped her in a hug. "I'm proud of you for not throwing a fit."

"I hate being an adult sometimes."

"So do I. Do you know how hard it is to limit yourself to one glass of Wild Turkey?"

"Sadly enough I do." Anne Marie laughed at how pathetic they must have seemed. She never believed they'd ever grow up to be self-adjusted adults. In fact honestly even after exchanging their vows and honeymooning she'd been convinced that they would still party until the wee hours of the morning. And for a while they did. It wasn't until they started running the bar did they slow down a bit. Still a slowed down Anne Marie and Finn were wilder than most people. But then Anne Marie discovered she was pregnant and everything changed. She no longer bummed cigarettes off of bar patrons. She no longer performed risqué dances on top of the bar to get the party started. She longer made monthly treks to New York City to club with Cora and Josie, her best mates who had moved from left Australia to live off of rich, Jewish lawyers that went out of town a lot and could care less what they did as long as they put out at the end of the night. Instead she took to reading and watching Lifetime. Surprisingly enough Finn willingly slowed down too and spent far less time at the bar and more time relaxing with her. Still give them a bottle of tequila and put on some bad eighties music and they could easily party like they had in their youth. "What did you guys come up with for show and tell?"

"Vegemite."

Anne Marie laughed and rolled her eyes. "Vegemite? As in the spread?"

"That's the one. She wanted to bring something exotic. I wasn't about to let her bring in an Aboriginal mask. And well I have to meet with an accountant or I would have gone in with her because we both know I'm as exotic as it gets." Finn joked.

Anne Marie slapped his chest playfully. "And very egotistical."

"Good job for tracking down Rhys. I'm sure Gigi will appreciate the effort. I'm sorry I didn't say that before love."

Anne Marie blushed at his compliment. "I hope so. I just I feel awful that something like this has happened to her."

"As do I." Finn concurred. "Now just because we can't have any champagne doesn't mean that we still can't celebrate."

"Oh yeah what are thinking we could do instead?"

"Well I figure I could come up with a few ideas. Like I figured we could do this." He captured her mouth with his and explored hers as though he were trying to figure out what she had for dinner. He pulled away only when the need for air made it impossible to concentrate on the task at hand.

"I like what you're thinking, but I thought we might incorporate a little of this." Anne Marie nipped his neck as she squeezed his ass. Even if parenthood had made their everyday lives boring, it had done nothing to hinder the wildness of their sex life. Maybe just maybe the awesomeness that was about take place would make Anne Marie want to hit Miles in the head with a bottle a little bit less.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING. I HAVE TO CREDIT KRISTINA SMITH AT TWIZ TV . COM FOR TRANSCRIBING THE EPISODE YOU JUMP, I JUMP JACK. I DECIDED TO GO WITH THE ACTUAL DIALOGUE JUST BECAUSE IT WAS TOO AWESOME TO CHANGE. I ADDED THAT LITTLE BIT OF ROGAN GOODNESS BECAUSE A VERY AWESOME READER ASKED FOR IT. AS USUAL IF YOU CHECK OUT MY PROFILE YOU CAN SEE THE HOTTIE THAT I HAD IN MIND FOR RHYS. HE WAS ESPECIALLY TRICKY BECAUSE IT WASN'T EASY TO FIND SOMEONE THAT HOT AND THAT EXOTIC. IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND LEAVING ME SOME FEEDBACK IT'D BE AWESOME. I'LL TRY TO UPDATE ASAP. **


	5. Elijah RockwellKelly

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS CHAPTER IS ABOUT DAVE AND LANE'S MUSICALLY INCLINED CHOICE. I HOPE YOU LIKE HIM. THANKS FOR TUNING BACK IN. **

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE FABULOUS ANNE MARIE. BUT IF I DID OWN GG SHE WOULD HAVE SO SAID YES. **

**CHAPTER FIVE: ELIJAH ROCKWELL-KELLY**

- - -

Lane sighed and rolled her eyes when she walked into the small record store that she and Dave called their baby because blaring throughout the store was Pat Benatar. That meant only one thing Roxanne, one of only there three employees, had broken up with the alt-rock drummer she'd been dating for like a whole three weeks, which in Roxanne time was the equivalent of three years. Roxanne always played "Love is a Battlefield", followed by "Hate (I Really Don't Like You) as well as other hateful tracks, and then the big finale which usually took about an hour and a half to reach was always "I Love Rock & Roll". Roxanne called it her "Put on Your Big Girl Pants" mix. Typically Lane, not one to judge, allowed this to go on if only because Roxanne was a good employee and a naïve nineteen year old. Today though after everything that had happened to Gigi she couldn't bring herself to support such a depressing playlist "Roxanne his band was called Spit; you shouldn't mope over a guy in band a called Spit." Lane advised breezily as she walked over to the stereo and turned the depressing mix off.

"What should I listen to? Don't worry be happy? I slept with him Lane even though you told me not to. I'm so going to end up like that woman on Oprah who'd had sex with over fifty people." Roxanne asked Lane. "Or worse I'm going to become nothing more than a booty call. I mean it's like that saying why buy milk when you have a free cow."

Lane had to stifle a laugh. Roxanne was many things beautiful, artistic, musically enlightened, but definitely brilliant. Still she couldn't help, but love Roxanne with her spiky hair and endless supply of Hello Kitty shirts. "I think you mean why buy the cow when you're getting the milk for free. Roxanne stop stressing about him, he's just a drummer who'll never get to quit his day job. And I mean maybe just don't sleep with them during that first week your together. Make the guy work for it a little bit. Your worth it Rox."

"I just wish I had met an awesome guy like Dave in high school. I mean you do realize your life is so awesome it could easily be made into a movie. I mean how many girls after getting reunited with their first love goes on tour with them, sells like five million albums, marries them, and then gets to run a totally awesome record store with them? Yeah like none. That's how many." Roxanne hadn't even been able to believe Lane's story. It took three different magazine articles and confirmation for Lane and Dave's circle of friends to convince her that Lane was the luckiest girl planet.

Lane smiled and rolled her eyes. "Yeah right it only sounds glamorous when you sum it up in like two minutes. That way you get to leave out all the boring parts like the time Dave and I spent apart. Now please play something that won't cost us our street cred." Three years ago on Christmas morning Dave woke Lane up with a sloppy kiss and told her to get dressed because he had a surprise for her. She'd groggily pulled on a pair of jeans and one of Dave's warm, wool sweaters without a clue as to why he was forcing her to wake up. Didn't people sleep in during vacations especially ones during the holidays when they didn't have engagements until the afternoon? She'd fought the urge to fall asleep during the ride from their hotel room to what she recognized as downtown Hartford. When they came to a stop in front of an old building she'd looked at him confused. Not willing to divulge anything just yet he'd gotten out of the car and motioned for her to join him. Lane, no longer half asleep still was puzzled as to why they were standing in front of a closed and rundown store and why Dave had to the key to open it. It wasn't until they had toured the entire building did Dave finally let Lane in on his little secret. She was standing in the middle of their brand new record shop. She'd been surprised to say the least as well as ecstatic because she'd longed to stop touring, but she hadn't told Dave that. He explained that while they finished up the tour people would be renovating upstairs making it into a comfortable and livable loft. After the tour they'd set up the store. The rest as they say was history. Lane relished her new life. She and Dave still played music sometimes, but for the most part they spent their days writing and talking about music. Sometimes they even sold albums.

Roxanne smiled and grabbed a well-worn vinyl album and placed it on the record player. As soon as the music started she threw her hands in the air. "You know you make wanna shout! Throw my hands up and shout! Throw my head back and shout!" She sang as she danced a circle around Lane.

Dave emerged from upstairs and smiled at the sight of Lane fighting the urge to join Roxanne. This song was one of the rare ones that Lane would actually dance to. "What happened to the "Put on your Big Girl Pants" mix?" He asked as he joined in.

"I just put on my big girl pants a little sooner that I normally do is all. Plus Lane was right he was the drummer for a band called Spit. I mean how serious could a band be if they thought that being named after a bodily function was cool?"

Dave smiled. "Hind sights twenty-twenty."

"What?"

Lane laughed and shot Dave an 'are you kidding me' look. "It's nothing. So did we sell anything while we were gone?"

"Actually yeah we sold the Appetite for Destruction and 10 from 6 on vinyl."

"Sweet were they your average ex-metal head turned working stiff?" Lane joked.

Roxanne shook her head no. "Surprisingly enough it was actually a high school aged girl wearing a pink Lacoste polo, khaki mini-skirt, and Uggs. Actually she said she'd be back by with her boyfriend. Apparently she was buying them for him or something. I don't know. She kind of reminded me of a slutty version of Gigi." When Roxanne first met Gigi she hadn't known that she was Lane and Dave's Gigi. She looked like your average private school girl who was buying into the hype of indie music for all the wrong reasons. Of course it had taken like two seconds for her to be proven wrong. She'd wigged out that Lane and Dave hadn't told her that they'd gotten Le Tigre on vinyl and then she'd spouted off her reasons for loving vinyl. From that moment on Roxanne deemed Gigi the coolest prepster she'd ever met and three years later there had been no one cooler.

"That's cool, but weird that she bought the vinyl versions." Lane commented before changing records out and putting on Franz Ferdinand. "But whatever sales are always amazing. This is a record store after all." While the couple was not hurting for money Lane always had this fear that one day everything would dry up and they'd be broke and their perfect life would disappear. Okay almost perfect life because seriously perfection would be if her mother stopped calling weekly to ask if she was pregnant yet and then complaining cause the answer was always no. Mrs. Kim had finally accepted Lane's musical career if only because she had no choice, but Lane not having kids yet after being married for nearly a decade was simply unacceptable to her.

- - -

Elijah Rockwell-Kelly or Eli as he preferred to be called smiled when he saw that located across the street from his mother's new art studio was none other than a record shop called Daydream Nation. He knew it had to be hip if it was referencing the best Sonic Youth album ever created. When his mother had announced that she had fought the perfect studio in downtown Hartford he'd been surprised and then irritated. His father, a high power Senator, was always allowing and supporting his mother to get involved in crazy hobbies. Her current one was pottery. Of course his father loved his mother's lopsided creations and bought her a studio to prove he believed in her. He wished he was wearing something other than his Avon Old Farms uniform. He looked like a nerd in his navy blazer and slacks with a tie hanging loosely around his neck. He smiled when he walked in and heard Franz Ferdinand on what he was pretty sure was vinyl. If there was a bright side to his mother's new obsession it was this place.

"Welcome to Daydream Nation let me know if I can do anything to help you." Roxanne greeted brightly. Silently she wondered if it was music enlightenment day at all of the private schools in the county.

Eli smiled and thanked her before heading towards the back of the store. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who he knew had to be Dave Rygalski, lead singer and guitarist of The Geeks, one of his favorite indie-folk bands ever, plucking away on a guitar in the corner of the store. He'd once read an article that Dave and his wife Lane quit touring to own a record store, but he'd thought they were kidding until now that is.

"Ooh we've got a fan in the building." Roxanne teased. She loved when to see people's reactions when they realized that Lane and Dave really did own a record store in downtown Hartford and that wasn't just misprint or a myth.

Dave turned around sure enough found a teenaged boy with longish hair that didn't match the tidiness of his uniform blushing. "Ignore her she wasn't socialized properly as a child. My name's Dave, but you probably already knew that."

"Uh yeah I'm Eli it's nice and a little surreal to meet you." He cringed at how lame he must have sounded. "I knew the people who owned this place had to be for real."

"Seriously? How?"

"You named this place after Sonic Youth's best album. A lame or wannabe would have named this place something obvious." Eli explained confidently no longer as shocked as he was when he first saw Dave plucking away on his guitar.

Dave smirked, something he was sure he'd picked up from Logan. "Nice. Most people don't notice or know. Lane will be impressed when I tell her. She was the one who named the store. But anyway I should let you look around. You looking for anything in particular? We've got some pretty awesome vinyls as well as some cool cds."

Eli nodded. "Okay thanks." He walked over to the indie-folk section to see what kind of musical treasures he could uncover. He hadn't seen a selection this diverse anywhere but online. He also hadn't seen this many actual vinyl records before.

"Vinyls better. It's our motto." Dave replied as he motioned to the record he was holding. "We buy as many as we can, but today it's like all people talk about are being green and buying MP3s instead."

"Can I just say and I know this is going to sound so lame, but I think I've found heaven and it's your store."

Dave laughed. "Roxanne was the same way the first time she came in here. And she totally was like rocking glasses just like Lane which only makes it more fun to laugh at now. So do you play?"

"Uh yeah I play a little." Eli was only lying a little bit. He actually played a lot. Still he didn't think that would impress Dave in the least bit.

"Cool do you want maybe jam with me? Lane's upstairs talking to her mother and our manager and I just want to jam for a little while so are you down?" Dave rarely talked this much to customers. Normally he'd smile and welcome them to the store. If they were fans he'd answer a couple of questions before making up an excuse about having to do some inventory. Never before had he asked a high school kid in a private school uniform to play guitar with him.

Eli took a deep breath to keep himself from spazzing out. "Yeah that'd be cool."

Roxanne watched the way the two interacted and couldn't help but think that maybe this was the beginning of a beautiful bromance. She smiled as Eli tried to not freak out when Dave handed him one of his old guitars. "Can I make a request?"

"No." Dave joked. "Okay yes but it depends because I'm not playing anything gay."

"Jealous Guy?"

Dave shook his head no and frowned. "We play way too much Elliot Smith."

"Please."

"Okay." Dave conceded. "You know it right?"

"Yeah of course," Eli assured him.

After they played a couple of songs they settled to just sort of strumming and talking.

"So you go to Avon Old Farm School?"

"Yeah sadly enough I do. How'd you know?" While he did wear a blue blazer he didn't have a crest or anything on it to say why he was wearing it.

Dave sympathized with Eli. He too had gone to private school and it wasn't fun. "A very good friend's younger sister goes to Chilton. Plus I graduated from Phillips-Exeter like a million years ago."

"No way. You went to PEA?"

"Yeah I did. My parents are photographers and were always gone so they enrolled me at PEA because they had a decent music program. After I graduated my parents gave me a year to sow my oats. I moved in with my Aunt in Stars Hollow, which is this small town like thirty minutes from here and that's where I met Lane and the rest is as they say history." He left out the part about moving to California and playing in Barry Manillow's band. "Little known fact I'm totally mentioned as an alumni on the Wikipedia page though I've yet to make the actual website."

Lane walked in the room and nearly stopped dead in her track when she found Dave playing with some random teenager in a suit. "Hi I'm Lane."

Eli's head shot up and he came face to face with Lane.

"Lane this is Eli, Eli this is my wife Lane. We were just jamming for a little while." Dave explained.

Lane nodded. "Cool. Marty wants us to do a shoot for Nylon. They're doing an article on indie-folk revolutionaries and for some reason they think we should be included." Neither of them thought they attributed much to their favorite genre of music. Yet for some reason they world seemed to think they had. To them they'd just been doing what they loved and other people had just happened to love it too.

Dave groaned. He hated doing magazine shoots. "Did you say yes?"

"No I didn't say yes."

"But you didn't say no either."

Lane shook her head no. "I mean it's kind of a big deal Dave."

Eli watched on in amazement. He couldn't imagine not wanting to do a magazine shoot. Then again he couldn't imagine someone asking him to do one either. He sensed that Dave would give in if only because Lane seemed stubborn.

"You know they're going to ask when we're going to record again and stupid shit like that. It's like dude if I wanted you in my biz I would call you and tell you myself."

"Dave…"

"Lane…"

"Come on…"

"Fine, but I better not end up looking like I have gayface."

Lane smiled and kissed him on the forehead. "Thanks Davey."

"You owe me big." Dave pointed out. "So Eli here is pretty awesome, I mean like really impressive. You have to hear his acoustic rendition of "Paper Planes."

Lane loved M.I.A. "Yeah? Go for it."

Eli willed his fingers not to screw up and his voice not to betray him as he played. If it weren't for the fact that he could actually feel his fingers hitting the chords he would have sworn that this was just the most realistic dream of his life. "I fly like paper, get high planes."

- - -

Keaton couldn't understand why Miles was being so difficult. They'd just finished eating dinner at his favorite sushi place to celebrate him dumping that stupid bitch Gigi Hayden and now were on their way to the record store she'd been at earlier. For some reason he was giving her a hard time about going back. Still she wasn't going to back down. She always got her way. "I just want to show you this place. Okay? So stupid being such a douche and come in with me."

Miles gulped and said a silent prayer that they weren't in there. When Keaton had shown up at dinner carrying the familiar electric blue bag he'd been shocked to say the least. He wasn't entirely sure how she'd made it out of there alive. He figured maybe Lane and Dave didn't know what she looked like. Still they definitely knew what he looked like. He cringed as soon as they got out of the car because he could see them. He took a deep breath and followed her into the store.

"Welcome back. You must be the boyfriend. Did you like her gift?" Roxanne asked brightly when she recognized the girl from earlier walking in holding hands with a tall dark haired guy about her age.

"Uh yeah I did. I'm a huge Bad Company fan so that was really awesome." Miles tried to change his voice hoping that Lane and Dave wouldn't stop their jam session. He remembered not too long ago coming here with Rory and sitting on these jam sessions. They were always entertaining and never predictable.

Lane looked up to see who had come in and gasped. She elbowed Dave and motioned her head towards where the couple had walked in.

Dave shook his head in disbelief and then stood up and clenched his fists. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?"

"Excuse me? Are you talking to us?" Keaton asked the guy who had just stood up.

"Get the hell out of here Miles. After the shit you pulled with Gigi today you're lucky all I'm doing is telling you to get the fuck out. I should call my friends and let them handle it the way you know they want to. Anne Marie especially has business to settle with you."

Keaton turned around and looked at Miles. "You know these guys?"

Miles nodded. "Yeah they're uh friends of Gigi's older sister Rory."

"This is a free country and if we want to shop here we're going to shop here. Okay? Do you know who I am?"

"A used up skank with bad hearing? My husband said to get out and we have the right to deny service to anyone we please so get out." Lane had heard Gigi's tales about Keaton, but thought that maybe she had been exaggerating slightly. Now she knew better.

Miles gulped. "Let's go Keaton. This is just shady of us okay? And you really don't want them to call their friends. Anne Marie and Finn are Australian and crazy."

Keaton looked at Miles in disbelief and then back at the angry couple. Finally she looked at the girl behind the counter. She sighed. "Fine we're leaving but just know I'm going to talk to my families' lawyer about this."

"Go ahead bitch." Roxanne said with a grin. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out. Oh and Uggs is short for Ugly."

Eli hadn't said a single word this whole time. Instead he'd just sat there and wondered if thing were always this hectic in the store. He looked at his watch and saw how late it was getting. He set the guitar down and then stood up. "I should be going. My Mom's probably wondering where I am."

"I'm sorry about all of that Eli. We're usually pacifists. The girl I told you about earlier that goes to Chilton well that's her ex-boyfriend and that girl is her nemesis. The guy broke up with her today to be with the nemesis. He really screwed her over though because her debutante ball is in three weeks and now she's dateless." Dave explained. He'd been so close to wanting to fight.

Eli not only understood, but probably would have reacted the same way if someone had done that to someone he was close to. "It's okay."

"I know this may sound super creepy, but there are five couples who all kind of feel responsible for Gigi. Anyway we're each coming up with a possible escort. She's going to pick one tomorrow. If you don't have a girlfriend or anything do you think maybe you'd be willing to be in the running?" Lane had no idea on who they were going to pick. Honestly it hadn't even occurred to her to ask Eli until literally two seconds ago. She added, "Feel free to say no. It's like not like we're going to blacklist you if you think it's just too weird."

Eli sat there just looking at them. Despite being from a prominent family he'd never been asked to do something like this before. Plus they both looked kind of desperate. And there was a good chance she wouldn't even pick him. "Uh yeah okay I'm game."

"Your game," Lane asked eagerly.

"I'm game." He confirmed.

"Cool we just need to get some info from you and a picture and maybe we'll record a demo of you playing "Paper Planes" really quickly for the portfolio." Lane tried to act cool, but inside she was like dancing. Her smile grew bigger when Roxanne changed the record that was playing to "Celebration".

Dave knew that Lane was probably freaking Eli out. "It's a competition," he clarified. "The couple whose escort she picks wins five different prizes. One of the prizes is a trip to Belize."

"Wow. I hope your other friends don't pick guys like the one I go to school with cause there's no way I'd beat a guy like them."

Lane smiled. "You'll do fine. She's really into music and she's not your average prep school girl. And she's awesome. Do you want to see a picture of her?" Before he could answer she went behind the counter and pulled down the most recent picture they had. It was from when they went to a Weezer show. She smiled when his jaw dropped just slightly.

"That guy broke up with this girl for that bitch?"

Lane snorted, "Our sentiments exactly."

"Say cheese," Roxanne instructed before taking a quick picture of him with an old school Polaroid camera.

Eli who'd been caught off guard surprisingly enough was smiling in the picture. He knew that even if Gigi didn't pick him that maybe just maybe he'd found a place to fit in. If Gigi did pick him that would just be like the cherry on top off the sundae.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING. I'M SORRY IT TOOK ME LONGER THAN USUAL TO UPDATE. FOR SOME REASON THIS CHAPTER WAS REALLY HARD FOR ME. I HOPE IT DIDN'T SUCK. I THOUGHT ADDING THE TWIST OF MILES AND KEATON SHOWING UP WOULD BE PRETTY FUNNY. I DON'T KNOW. I KNOW I DIDN'T DEVELOP LANE AND DAVE'S RELATIONSHIP AS MUCH AS MAYBE THE OTHER COUPLES, BUT I PROMISE IF PEOPLE WANT THAT THEN I'LL ADD IT LATER. AS USUAL YOU CAN CHECK OUT THE ACTOR I ENVISIONED FOR THE ROLE OF ELIJAH AS WELL AS THE ACTRESS I THOUGHT OF FOR GIGI. I ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE GUYS SO IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE IF SHE LOOKED THE WAY YOU THOUGHT SHE MIGHT. ANYWHO NEXT CHAPTER YOU MEET OUR FINAL BACHELOR. IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND REVIEWING AND LEAVING ME SOME FEEDBACK THAT WOULD TOTALLY BE APPRECIATED. THANKS AGAIN. – KRiSTiNE.**


	6. Mason Douglas

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: STEPHANIE AND COLIN'S ULTRA-CHIC AND VERY HOT BOYTOY WILL BE INTRODUCED IN THIS CHAPTER AND THEN GIGI WILL GET INTRODUCED TO THEM ALBEIT SHE'LL JUST GET THE DIFFERENT PORTFOLIOS. THANKS FOR TUNING IN. **

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE FABULOUS ANNE MARIE. BUT IF I DID OWN GG SHE WOULD HAVE SO SAID YES. **

**CHAPTER SIX: MASON DOUGLAS**

- - -

Unlike their friends, Stephanie and Colin had a plethora of attractive young men to choose from. It took Stephanie a whopping fifteen minutes to decide that Mason Douglas was the perfect choice. He was a model/actor with a knee weakening southern drawl. Stephanie had hired him a couple of months ago for a commercial for her boutique. Suffice to say her sales had gone up significantly almost immediately after the commercial aired. It had taken some convincing to get Colin on board. He wasn't exactly comfortable with setting Gigi up with a guy that good looking. Still all it took was her explaining that if chosen Mason would treat it like an acting job. Also she reminded him of how amazing a weekend in Belize would be. Next thing you know Colin was all about how perfect of a choice Mason was.

"Can you get this for me?" Stephanie asked Colin. She was standing in the middle of their bedroom in her bra and slip. She was always extra careful with the necklace she was wearing because it was a McRae family heirloom. She'd been surprised when Colin's mother had urged her youngest child to give it to her.

Colin gingerly undid the clasp and allowed the necklace to fall into her waiting hands. He then placed a gentle kiss on the back of her neck. "Is this new?" He asked in reference to the black bra she was wearing.

Stephanie smiled. She loved that he always noticed when she bought new things. Furthermore she loved that he appreciated them. "It is. The shipment came in today from France. Nice isn't?"

"Very nice," Colin murmured as he trailed kisses down her spine. He groaned and stopped when the phone started to ring from its' place on his nightstand. "Ignore it." He urged her. Still it fell on deaf ears because she sighed and then crossed the room to grab it.

She glanced at the caller ID and rolled her eyes before picking up, "Hi Bethany." She shot Colin look as he disappeared into the bathroom.

"_Hey Stephanie, I'm so glad your home. I was afraid I was going to have to leave a message on the machine and this news is too big to leave on a machine." _

Stephanie knew right then and there that Bethany was pregnant again. This would be her fifth pregnancy in thirteen years. "Oh yeah, what's that Bethany?" She pretends not to know because she can't bring herself to be rude to Colin's older sister though Bethany was quick to make small comments that didn't go unnoticed.

"_Well Denny and I are pregnant again!" _

"Oh well isn't that just so exciting for you two," Stephanie gushed in a fake cheery voice.

"_Yeah I know I mean we'd been trying, but you know I just didn't know if we were going to have another. And get this the doctor thinks it's probably twins. We'll know more next week, but she seemed pretty sure of it." _

Stephanie couldn't even begin to fathom how she was going to raise six kids. Then again she figured the real question was how Marta, Denny and Bethany's nanny, was going to raise six kids. Stephanie often fantasized that one day she'd steal Marta from them and she could come be her and Colin's live in maid. Still she was pretty Bethany would kill Stephanie before she'd let Marta go. "Oh wow. That is so awesome."

"_I know. Anyway I just wanted to let you and my baby brother know. Oh and I wanted to invite you guys to the dinner party we're throwing next Thursday. We wanted to do something to celebrate. You will be able to make it right? You don't have any fashion shows or anything right?" _

You know when you just want to punch somebody in the face. Well that's how she felt right now. She hated the way Bethany disdainfully said fashion show. Her disapproval of the fact that Stephanie was a career woman and not a debutante made clear. "I'm penciling it as we speak. Do we need to bring anything?"

"_Your presence is plenty. Is Colin there?" _

"He actually ran to the store for me right before you left. I was having a headache and he went to get me some Tylenol. I'll let him know though as soon as he returns." Stephanie mouthed the words you owe me to Colin.

"_Well darn. If you wouldn't mind that would be sweet of you. Well I'll see you next Thursday Stephanie. I can't wait." _

"Neither can I. Congratulations again." Stephanie let out a sigh of relief once she got off the phone. "She's pregnant again…with twins."

Colin wasn't surprised. His sisters were baby-making machines. "Poor Marta."

"My thoughts exactly," Stephanie replied with a grin. She went into the bathroom to take off her makeup. "The worst part though is the fact that I'm going to have to field more questions about why we don't have children when we go to dinner on Thursday. I bet I get at least one card to a great fertility doctor." It always happened. At first it was embarrassing. It didn't take long for it to become infuriating.

Colin felt bad for Stephanie and Paris. Both his family and Jamie's family were constantly asking why neither of the couples had children yet. Even though in neither case was it the girls' fault it didn't keep their families' from acting like it was. The truth is neither couple felt like they were at a place in their life where they would be very good parents'. On that same token neither couple was willing to leave their child in the child raising responsibility up to a nanny. "I'm sorry. At least Paris and Jamie will be there to deal with it too."

Stephanie could tell by the sound of his voice that he was feeling guilty. "I don't blame you Colin. You're not the only person in this marriage who isn't ready to be a parent yet."

"I know it's just at least your family has the decency to just accept that we may or may not have kids."

"Because my father has a new, young girlfriend every month and my mother is wino. They're a bit self-obsessed to question why we've yet to have kids. Oh and don't forget my grandmother who should be in a home, but instead is living in the Dominican doing god knows what." The year after Colin and Stephanie married was the most tumultuous year in Lancaster family history. Anything dramatic that could happen. Her parents divorced. Her grandmother moved away. Hell her cousin Bernie came out of the closet. It had been a stressful year to say the least.

"I'd trade families with you any day of the week."

Stephanie laughed and rolled her eyes. She changed into one of her many silk nightgowns and then crawled into bed beside Colin. She kissed him softly on the cheek. The scruff of his five o'clock shadow made her scrunch her nose. While she loved that it made him look less clean cut she wasn't a fan of how it felt. She pulled out one of her sketchbooks.

"You don't want kids yet…right Steph?"

Stephanie set her sketchbook down. "No I don't. I mean you don't either right?"

"Right no you're so right. I just I wanted to make sure that you didn't want kids because if you did I'd be okay with it, but I'm just as okay with not having kids." Colin explained.

"I'll keep that in mind." She picked her sketchbook back up and went back to working on the design she had come up with for a new purse. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"It's just you're the best husband ever and you are really understanding and I'm just happy that I got you." Stephanie assured him. Most people always made it seem like Colin was the lucky one, but Stephanie knew the real truth.

Colin smiled and squeezed her hand. "You're not such a bad wife either. And really Stephanie your enough for me. I just want you to be happy. That's all I've ever wanted."

"I hope Gigi likes Mason. I doubt the others can come up with someone half as hot." Stephanie said triumphantly.

"I agree, but the thing is if he's an asshole we're screwed. That's going to be the downfall to winning. If you're guy isn't as perfect as you think he is. The group is going to eat you alive. It almost makes me not want to win." Colin admitted. He'd realized it earlier while she was on the phone with Bethany.

Stephanie took a deep breath. "Mason won't screw up…especially if he wants to work again."

"Good because I don't want Anne Marie to have beef with us. I can still remember the time she threw a dish at Finn's head right after their honeymoon when he'd lost his cell phone and hadn't bothered to call to let her know that he was safe."

"Oh god and then he showed up at our penthouse and slept on the couch."

"It's hard to believe that they're the only one of us to have a child."

"I know what you mean." Colin had never pegged Finn and Anne Marie as child-friendly, but they did a great job with Ava and loved her immensely. So maybe just maybe when it was time for him and Stephanie to be parents they wouldn't be half bad.

- - -

Lorelai had been shocked to say the least last night when Gigi came home and told her and Christopher what all had happened that day. Her first reaction had been to go whoop Miles' ass, but then she heard what Rory and her group of friends were doing for her and she wasn't so mad. Still she was nervous as to what kind of escorts they could come up with in less than a day's time. She pushed the door open and smiled at the guy standing behind the desk. "Bonjour JP!"

"Bonjour Lorelai!" JP greeted Lorelai brightly.

"How are you doing today babe?" Lorelai loved JP the same way she had loved Michel except JP was actually nice.

"Marvelous as usual, we've had a pretty busy day. Still before I bore you with the details we better head back there. Everyone has been waiting patiently for you before they do the big unveiling." JP told another one of the employees to watch the front and then linked arms with Lorelai. "I can not wait to see how the dress has turned out."

"Neither can I. Plus I'm sure you know about all of the different escorts they've lined up for her to choose from."

"I did and can I just say that I am jealous. I've only see Stephanie's guy, but I know the others have all come up with tasty options." JP would kill to trade places with Gigi for one night.

"Ah the queen has arrived. We may now unveil Stephanie's masterpiece." Anne Marie announced. She was not known for her patience.

Lorelai smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry there was a bit of an issue at the inn." She sat down beside Rory on one of the plush champagne colored couches that Stephanie had had shipped from France.

"Ladies and JP the moment you all have been waiting for has arrived. I present to you the one, the only-"

"Wait!" Logan called as he rushed into the room. "Sorry traffic was a bitch. Please continue Stephanie."

"I thought you had a meeting the accountants and you were sending the portfolio with a messenger service." Rory whispered.

"I cancelled the meeting. I didn't want to miss this. Plus the guys wanted me to take pictures." Logan explained.

"As I was saying before I present to you the one, the only Georgia Hayden." Stephanie announced excitedly.

Gigi stepped out from behind the curtain apprehensively. She felt beautiful, but still it was impossible to feel beautiful in something this expensive. She looked out at the crowd to see if they thought she looked beautiful and was happy to see that they agreed. "How do I look?" she asked just in case. She wanted to make sure that she wasn't confusing shock with awe.

"Oh Gigi…" Paris was the first to speak. "You look amazing."

"I'm so happy we didn't debut together because you would have made me look like rubbish." Anne Marie stated with a smile. Never in her wildest dreams did she think Gigi would look this good.

Lane had never been to a debutante ball before and wasn't sure what most girls looked like, but she knew that there was no way anyone could look better than her. "If you look this good in a ball gown I can only imagine how amazing you're going to look at your wedding."

"If you wouldn't mind striking a pose I promised the guys I'd take pictures." Logan felt like a father. He snapped about ten pictures with his Blackberry and then emailed them to all of the guys.

"Okay not to sound like I don't think you look beautiful because you really do G, but JP and I are dying to see who all they came up with." Lorelai admitted.

"Let me just change so I don't somehow manage to ruin this." Gigi and Stephanie disappeared behind the curtain so that Gigi could change back into her uniform. It took them all of ten minutes to return. When they did everybody had their portfolios turned upside down waiting on their laps. "Who wants to go first?" She asked excitedly.

Paris glanced around the room and saw that there were no takers. "Fine I'll go first. My nominee is named Ben Chapman. He volunteers at the hospital and is pre-med at Yale. He loves Judd Apatow films and hummus. As well as many other random things you'll find in here." Paris tossed her the file folder.

"Oh Par he's so cute. I love his eyes." Gigi gushed.

"I'll go next," Anne Marie volunteered. "Rhys Channing is the son of a Welsh swimsuit model and an Australian Olympic gold medalist diver. He goes to Kensington and is considering becoming a History major at more than likely Dartmouth. Most importantly though he has an accent."

Gigi checked out the picture attached and smiled. "He is so ruggedly handsome. He looks Australian if that's possible."

Anne Marie laughed, shrugged, and jokingly patted herself on the back.

"So Roxanne said that Elijah Rockwell-Kelly was the second coolest prepster she'd ever met. He goes to Avon Old Farm School and is vocally and musically talented. Included in our portfolio is a demo of him playing an acoustic rendition of M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes". Prepare to have your mind blown." She joked.

"I friggin' love that song." Gigi couldn't wait to pop the CD into her stereo.

Stephanie didn't bother saying anything except, "Remember him?"

Gigi did in fact remember Mason Douglas. He was like the hottest male model she'd ever seen. And his accent only made him hotter. "He was willing to do this?"

"Duh. You're the shit Gigi."

Logan and Rory exchanged nervous looks. It was going to be hard to follow Mason Douglas. Still Logan figured he'd give it a shot. "When you were younger you actually met our guy. He's Josh's younger brother James. He goes to Deerfield. Honor assured me that you two would be perfect together. Anyway he's not as hot as Mason, but yeah."

Gigi bit her lip when she saw the picture of James. Unlike the other guys he was not distinctly any one thing. He was just your normal Hartford rich kid. He was also very hot, not in the same way as Mason, but in a more attainable way. "I don't even remember meeting him."

"You are so lucky, but I have no idea how are you going to pick peach." Lorelai could not believe the guys they had come up with in such little time. They each had their own appeal.

"Thank you so much guys. Mom's right I'm so lucky." She gave each of them a kiss on the cheek and hugged them tightly. "I don't know what I would have done without all of you. I mean you've made my break up with Miles so much easier."

"Shit that totally reminds me. He showed up yesterday with that slut Keaton. I guess she'd bought him a couple of albums while we were all together at Rory's and then later that night we were jamming and he showed up. I might be getting sued so Par if you could let Jamie know that I may need to retain services that'd be much appreciated." Lane joked.

Rory's brow knitted together in confusion. "Why would you need a lawyer?"

"I called Keaton a used up skank and told her to get the fuck out." Lane admitted sheepishly. She just had been so mad, madder than she'd probably been in her entire life.

"Oh hell yes Lane. Right on!" Anne Marie cheered before high-fiving her.

"Thank you Lane, but you didn't have to do that." Gigi assured her quietly.

Lane smiled. "Yeah I did."

"So when will you make your announcement?" Lorelai voiced the question they'd all been wondering.

"Audrey and Fallon are meeting me for coffee in like," Gigi glanced down at her watch. "Shoot twenty minutes and we'll go over the "bachelors" there. I'll make my pick and then contact the guy and then I'll send out a mass text to let you know. How does that sound?"

"Just remember Ben is cute, a good person, and nerdy guys are always loyal." Paris advised her.

Anne Marie not to be outdone added, "Rhys is exotic and charming."

"Eli is soulful, talented, and called Keaton a bitch without having any to gain from it."

The group looked to Stephanie who just grinned, "The picture speaks for itself."

"You love Honor. Honor loves James. By that math you probably will also love James."

"I hate to run, but I better go ahead and head out or I'll be late for coffee."

"I'll walk you out," JP offered. "Are you leaning towards anyone yet?" He asked once they were out of earshot.

Gigi scoffed. "Uh no. This is going to be such a hard choice. I mean they're all cute, they all seem nice, and they all have been hand picked by people who I trust."

"Good luck Gigi. Au revoir," JP waved goodbye as she hopped into her black Tahoe and left. He wished he had a group of loved ones who would put together a portfolio like that.

Lorelai smiled at the group surrounding her. "You guys are just so awesome. I mean wow. It means so much to me that you would do this for her."

"We love her too Lorelai." Logan figured that he loved Gigi the same way his sister loved James. "And let's face it we also love prizes. So come on people what're you guys putting in the pot."

"A brand new furniture set for any room in your house or your guest house," Lane answered.

"Two bottles of 1945 Talbot Magnum," Anne Marie knew that all they had to offer was a fine bottle of wine because all of the couples already had a free tab at their bar and none of them had kids or were in need of a helicopter. It sucked when your friends were your equals.

"Two massages a week for six months." Paris added.

Stephanie shrugged before replying, "A custom made tuxedo and gown for the ball as well any pair of shoes to match."

"Holy shit that is one hell of a pot," Lorelai hadn't realized just how serious they were taking all of this. "No wonder you guys outdid yourselves."

"It helps that it was all for Gigi Mom. I think bragging rights would have easily been enough for us." Rory explained. "Still you guys are going down. She's so going to pick James."

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE THE ONE WHERE YOU GUYS PICK WHO YOU THINK WOULD BE THE BEST ESCORT. THANKS SO MUCH FOR TUNING BACK IN. I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER. IT'S A LITTLE TRICKY WHEN YOU HAVE A LOT OF CHARACTERS IN THE ROOM SO I DON'T KNOW IF I INCORPORATED EVERYONE AS WELL AS I WANTED TO. STILL YOU CAN NOT ONLY CHECK OUT GIGI'S DRESS, BUT ALSO THE VERY HOT MASON DOUGLAS ON MY PROFILE. REVIEW IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND. THEY TOTALLY MAKE MY DAY. – KRiSTiNE. **


	7. Luckiest Bitch Ever

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: SORRY IT TOOK ME LONGER THAN USUAL TO UPDATE. I'VE BEEN BUSY BAKING COOKIES AND FRIVILOUS THINGS OF THAT NATURE. ALSO I SPENT A LOT OF TIME THINKING ABOUT THIS CHAPTER. IT TOOK TIME TO DECIDE WHERE I WANTED IT TO GO. HOPEFULLY IT'LL BE WORTH THE WAIT. **

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE FABULOUS ANNE MARIE. BUT IF I DID OWN GG SHE WOULD HAVE SO SAID YES. **

**CHAPTER SEVEN: LUCKIEST BITCH…EVER**

- - -

"Jeez it took you long enough!" Fallon exclaimed once Gigi showed up at their small booth towards the back of the coffeehouse. She had spent all day wondering just what kinds of guys the Fabulous Six would come up with.

"I'm sorry traffic was a bitch." Gigi explained as she sat down beside Audrey. "There was an accident or something."

"That's fine, but come on we're dying." Audrey half-urged half-demanded.

Gigi smiled and then pulled the portfolios out of her bag. "Ladies prepared to be amazed." She placed them on the table beside each other and then watched as her friends jaws slowly dropped.

"You are the luckiest bitch…ever." Fallon replied as she took in the sight of each hunk.

Audrey shook her head in awe. "I mean how in the world did each couple manage to find someone hot?"

"No clue. Still at least you guys have steady boyfriends to take. I mean come on yeah they're hot, but they all probably are just doing this as a favor to the couple who chose them. Take Mason for example. He's a male model. He could get with almost any girl he wanted. The only reason he's doing this is because Stephanie would totally blacklist him if he had said no." Gigi pointed out. She would admit that she was totally lucky, but still it wasn't like these guys had come looking for her. Also her friends just happened to have amazing boyfriends. Fallon had been with Daniel for close to two years. He was on the crew team at Yale and had abs that could earn him a spot in Cosmogirl. Audrey's boyfriend Rafe not only would buy her the moon to make her happy, he also had the most charming British accent and wrote her poetry that rivaled the greats. Suffice to say neither of her friends had no reason to be jealous of her.

"You may be right, but still if you showed up with him Keaton would see red. Hell I doubt there is a guy in this pile wouldn't make her see red." Audrey assured her.

Fallon perked up at the mention of Keaton. "Ooh I have gossip."

"Spill," Gigi and Audrey commanded at the same time. They were whores for a juicy tale like any normal teenaged girl.

"Okay so today Matt Thompson went to pick up Fergie's shoes and when he was there waiting for the woman to wait on him Keaton was at the cash register trying to pay for her dress. Well guess what? All of her cards were declined. After berating the woman she left in a huff screeching on her cell phone." Fallon replayed for her good friends. She'd run into Fergie while she was getting her oil changed before coming over here.

"So embarrassing," Audrey replied stating the obvious in a way that only she could without it coming off as annoying. "Serves the bitch right, it's totally karma."

"Still so sweet that Matt picked up Fergie's shoes for her. They are totally adorable. She deserves it too after Clint cheated on her the first chance he got at Brown." Gigi lamented. She often felt that her and her friends could give the Laguna Beach and Newport Harbor kids a run for their money. Plus every other sentence wouldn't be like did you hear what Steven did with LC. They had a tendency to date guys who because they were rich and drove luxury vehicles felt the world belonged to them.

Fallon rolled her eyes at the way Gigi didn't comment on Keaton. "I hate that you're taking the high ground. You should totally be bashing that bitch. I mean what kind of a whore breaks up a three year relationship like that?"

"It wasn't all her. That's the worst part. And do we really expect more from Keaton? No. We hate each other. It only makes sense that she would go out of her way to hurt me this way. Still it's the fact that Miles helped her hurt me that really chaps my ass. I mean who was he before we got together? Oh yeah Billy's little dorky brother. I made him worth acknowledging. And the really shitty part is that you all told me that Miles was an ass disguising himself as a horse. But I wouldn't listen." Gigi had fought with many members of her inner circle protecting him. She'd told everyone that they didn't know him. She claimed that there was a side to him that he saved only for her. What a crock of bullshit that was.

"Hey don't beat yourself up Gigi. He isn't worth dwelling over." Audrey gently side-hugged Gigi, "Now who are you leaning towards?" She pointed to each of the guys on the table.

"Honestly I have no idea. I mean they're all gorgeous and handpicked by someone meaningful to me. It's like impossible to pick just one. Don't either one of you have a favorite?" Gigi asked hopefully. It would really make it easier if they were leaning towards. She looked at them and saw that they were just as in love with the entire group. "Okay well I can't take all of them so let's break it down. We'll start with Rhys Channing. What do you guys think about him?"

Fallon smiled. "Well first off he's dark and handsome which is like every girl's fantasy."

"Plus he's got a movie star smile," Audrey added. "And he's athletic."

"But he doesn't exactly come off as fascinating when you read about him despite the fact that he chose not to model and he has an interesting back story. For some reason he just doesn't jump off the page, but still he is hot." Fallon sighed. If it weren't for Daniel she'd certainly love to get a piece of that ass.

Gigi nodded taking in their comments as they came. "Okay let's move to Mason."

"Okay the thing is Mason is so hot, but what if that's all he is." Audrey feared that he was nothing more than a pretty face.

Fallon totally agreed. "I mean wouldn't it totally suck being stuck with a dud all night. I mean nobody that hot can be brilliant too. Sure it would rile Keaton up because you'd be the talk of the ball, but the last thing you need is to have a miserable time with him because that would make her even happier."

"Oh I never even thought of that. Thank god I have you two or who knows what I would do. Okay go for it dissect Eli."

"Well he goes to AOF which is a plus because AOF guys are so much nicer than Chilton guys. Lindsay dated one until she left for Stanford because he went to Georgetown. Plus it seems like you love the same bands."

"Plus he's totally dreamy G, I mean I never thought freckles could be cute." Audrey was super picky when it came to guys. She had standards and she would not lower them. She always joked that she'd rather be forty and single then forty and married to someone with bad teeth. For her to say Eli was cute meant a lot.

"Do you think his dad is Senator Kelly? They look similar." Fallon picked the Polaroid up and inspected it further. "I think he is. That's great pedigree Gigi."

Gigi rolled her eyes. Leave it to Fallon to talk about Eli like he was a dog. "Okay well let's see what you guys think about Ben." She wondered if this meant that they were leaning towards Eli.

"Ooh he is so nerdy cute like Seth Cohen." Fallon was in love with Adam Brody. She'd seen every one of his movies and kept her autograph picture of him in her father's safe. "Plus he volunteers which is refreshing and there's something hot about pre-med guys. It's like saying my major guarantees you a house in a gated community."

"Plus Judd Apatow is like the king of comedy right now so it shows that he's not one of obsessed with WOW nerds. Which reminds did you hear the rumor that Kelly's brother is going to rehab because he's that addicted to that game? It like gave him carpal tunnel syndrome." Audrey hadn't believed the rumor until she heard Kelly telling her best friend Stacy that the reason he had to get a cast was clicking the mouse for so long. It wasn't even a good rumor but really more of a sad and disturbing one.

Gigi crinkled her nose. "Is that why he's wearing a cast?"

"Yeah sad I know." Audrey confirmed.

"So you both love Ben too? I'm guessing." Gigi asked and groaned when they both nodded. There went the hope that they would pick the guy for her. "Okay the final guy is James."

Audrey and Fallon both poured over the information that Logan had written down. Finally Fallon looked up. "He's so normal."

"Yeah I mean he's like just a guy." Audrey chimed in.

"All of the others are so wow, but he's like just your average prep school kid. And he goes to Deerfield which means Claire probably knows him. I'll send her a text and get the scoop." Fallon pulled her phone out and quickly typed a text. She smiled at just how quickly Claire texted back. She read it over before relaying the info. "Okay so Claire says he's the ultimate catch at Deerfield. He's captain of the golf team which FYI is like the shit. He talks to everyone. Basically he's like whoa."

Gigi threw her hands up in the air. "Why can't one of them be like an obvious no? I mean would it kill one of them to have found a loser." She scoffed at how retarded and spoiled she must have sounded. "I just this is going to be so tough. It's like deal or no deal and there are five briefcases left and the guy upstairs is offering me $600,000."

"Make a pro-con list. That always helps you." Fallon urged.

"On a side note am I the only one who thought Ben sounded a lot like the male version of Sylvie?" Audrey asked.

Gigi laughed. "Now that you mention yeah he does." Sylvie was their other best friend. She would have been here for this pow wow, but she had plans with her grandmother. She also would have hardcore pushed for Ben. He was so her type. She was Jewish, incredibly focused, and very predictable. Gigi often thought of her as a brunette Paris. "Too bad she's with Paul."

Fallon's brow furrowed in confusion, "Are you kidding me? You didn't hear what happened at lunch today?"

"No. I skipped because I had to finish a lab for AP Physics." Gigi had been preoccupied with everything that had happened in the last day she hadn't been able to focus enough last night to finish her homework.

"Farrish told Sylvie that when she talked to Palmer last night about the luncheon this weekend he asked how Sylvie was holding up. Well of course she asked why and he said well because he saw Paul making out with another girl who was obviously not Sylvie and he figured they must have broken up. Sylvie immediately called Paul to see if it was true and the bitch answered his phone. Of course Sylvie broke up with him so now she's taking Carter's roommate from Boston as her escort." Audrey enlightened Gigi.

Gigi frowned. "How did I not know?"

"I don't know. It doesn't help you end your day with the social outcasts of Chilton. Why you decided to go ahead and take AP Physics is beyond me." Fallon had been dismayed when Gigi told them her schedule. It was one thing to be studious it was another thing to be obsessed.

Gigi was used to her friend's disbelief when it came to her workload. They were smart, but they preferred to rest slightly on their laurels. They knew they would get into their respective universities because they were legacies. She often reminded them of what happened to Paris, but they wouldn't listen. "Is she okay?"

"She's Sylvie so instead of talking about it all she'll talk about is the upcoming SATs." Audrey had tried to get her to talk, but of course it wasn't a go. She looked down at her watch and sighed. "Listen ladies I love you both, but I've got to head out. The fuehrer also known as Mr. Jacks assigned us an essay on Mein Kampf. Text me and let me know who you pick." She blew them air kisses and then left.

"I should probably be going too. The stepmonster wants to regale me with tales of her debutante ball. Dad promised me a new Dooney and Bourke watch if I allowed it." Fallon didn't hate her stepmonster as much as she found her utterly irritating. The woman was the reason people told blonde jokes. Still she didn't seem to be a gold digger like the others that came before her so Fallon was mostly nice to her.

"Yeah I've got lists to make and then French labs to do."

"You should have taken Latin G like I told you. It's like so easy."

"I know. I just thought French would be sexy."

"Sexy only pays when you're a stripper or a prostitute." Fallon joked. "Call me if you need help." Fallon urged before hopping into her Mustang convertible and rumbling away with So What blaring out of her speakers.

- - -

"So can I just say that the kids completely outdid themselves? I have no idea who Gigi is going to pick?" Lorelai told Christopher as soon as he got home from work. She couldn't even decide who she thought was the best.

Christopher smiled. "Really? I can't say I'm shocked. You know how they are when it comes to Gigi. I swear sometimes I think they're her parents."

"Then why aren't they the ones paying her car insure and her Chilton tuition?" Lorelai joked.

"Good point. I'll ask Logan at Friday night dinner. The sad part is he'd probably cut me a check."

"I can't believe I ever disliked him. I mean god was I stupid."

"Yeah there was a time when I felt that way about Sherri, but I realized there was a positive to it because it gave me Gigi. The positive in your disliking Logan is that it allowed you to realize how much you loved me. Or at least admit it."

"When did you become so wise?" Lorelai could remember a time when she was the wise one in their relationship.

Christopher pretended he was offended. "I've always been wise." When she rolled her eyes he couldn't help but smile. "Okay it probably was that night when Rory came to me. I don't know. So you have no idea who she's going to pick?"

"Nope."

"How're we going to find out?"

Lorelai shrugged. "She said she was going to send a text when she reached her decision."

Christopher frowned. "So if I went upstairs and asked her it would be a complete waste of my time."

"Basically yeah." Lorelai checked her phone just in case she had somehow missed the text alert even though her phone was on loud and right beside her.

"I'm going to hop in the shower. Do you want to join me or would you rather wait out here for a text?"

"Honestly? I'd rather wait for the text. I'm dying to know. You didn't see these portfolios the kids made. I mean I have no idea which direction she was leaning towards." Lorelai admitted.

Christopher nodded and then kissed her on the forehead. "Let me know if it comes while I'm in the shower."

"Will do." Lorelai grabbed a magazine off of the coffee table and half-read an article about Mira Sorvino. She checked her phone one more time. It felt like time was moving in slow motion.

- - -

"Has Gigi texted yet?" Colin asked as soon as he walked in the door.

Stephanie shook her head no.

Colin scowled. "What's taking her so long?"

"You should have seen the guys they came up with. I've got no clue which direction she's leaning." Stephanie had underestimated her friends.

"The dress was beautiful. You did an awesome job."

"Thanks."

"So you've really got no clue who's she leaning towards. I mean is there someone who is obviously out of the running?"

"Nope," Stephanie replied with a sigh.

"Damn."

- - -

"Okay so that was an awesome way to keep my mind off of the fact that she hasn't texted yet." Rory replied blissfully as she lay in Logan's arms. She'd tried to focus on other things, but nothing seemed to work. When Logan suggested sex she figured it was worth a shot. He'd been right. It had kept her plenty occupied.

Logan smirked. "Told you so Ace."

"It was adorable that showed up to take pictures today."

"Let's not describe things I do as adorable. It makes me sound soft."

"Being soft is not a bad thing. Lots of awesome things are soft." Rory countered.

Logan knew he wasn't going to win this argument. "I bet Honor is going as crazy as we are. You should have heard the way she talked about James' girlfriend. She called her a skank on more than one occasion."

"I just want to know. At this point I don't even care if James wins. I just need to know."

"Want to go again?" Logan asked suggestively. He could sense her starting to stress again.

Rory contemplated it before nodding. She needed to be distracted.

- - -

"So Mark Foster threw up after he tried Vegemite it was gross." Ava told her parents as they sat at the dinner table.

Anne Marie snorted. "Sister Ann-Margaret must have loved that."

"Why do you have your cell phones on the table?" Ava asked. Her parents never brought their phones to the table. It was they claimed family time and the world could wait.

"We're expecting a very important text message from Gigi." Finn explained.

Ava nodded before coming up with another question. "About what?"

Finn sighed knowing that it was going to take a while to explain the situation to her. At least he figured it would keep his mind off of the current situation.

- - -

"What do you think of the line she was hung up like Madonna?" Lane asked as she tapped her pen against the pad quietly. She and Dave were working on a new song.

Dave shook his head. "Madonna is way too hard to rhyme with and you know I have an aversion to her."

"I know." Lane was used to his weird aversions. She loved him despite them.

"So do you think Eli stood a chance?"

"Yeah all of the guys were awesome. She seemed into interested in all of them." Lane had been surprised that that Gigi had been so enamored with all of them.

"Suspense sucks."

"I know but Gigi is totally good at creating it."

Dave nodded and then stared at his paper some more. "What do you think of she fought the urge to call him a hundred times a day. She fought the urge to follow him when he ran away."

"Love it." Lane replied as she wrote it down.

- - -

"How's your stuffing?" Jamie asked as he looked over some paperwork.

"It's remarkable, but what's new."

"I'm jealous that you actually got to see Gigi in her dress. She looked enchanting in the pictures Logan sent." Jamie admitted.

"Babe don't say enchanted. You sound like you belong in a Disney film." Paris advised. "She did look amazing though. Stephanie did wonders with that dress."

"Did she say when she was going to text?"

"I wish. I don't think she has any idea who she is going to pick. You should have seen how excited she was about all of them."

"At least that meant everyone really stepped their game up." Jamie was always one to point out the positive.

"Yeah I'm just impatient."

Jamie fought the urge to say really, I didn't know. Instead he said, "She'll text soon enough."

"She better because I can't even focus on my medical journals."

- - -

Gigi stared at the results of her pro-con lists. The choice it seemed was obvious. She picked up her cell phone and hesitantly dialed the number that had been supplied to her. She nervously listened to it ring and waiting for someone to answer. Right as she thought that maybe she would just have to leave a voicemail a guy picked up. "Hi this is Gigi, is this…"

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: OKAY SO YOU GET TO PICK WHO SHE CHOOSES. IN YOUR REVIEW MAKE SURE YOU MENTION WHO YOU THINK WOULD BE THE BEST ESCORT. I EAGERLY AWAIT YOUR REVIEWS. THE MORE I GET THE BETTER BECAUSE IF IT LOOKS LIKE AN OVERWHELMING FAVORITE I CAN GO AHEAD AND PLAN FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER. WHO SHE PICKS WILL DECIDE WHERE THIS STORY GOES. I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHO YA'LL THINK IS THE BEST. I'M SORRY IF THIS WASN'T THE BEST CHAPTER. I TRIED REALLY HARD IF THAT HELPS. HAHA. THANKS FOR READING.– KRiSTiNE. **


	8. And the Winner Is

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I WAITED ALMOST AN ENTIRE DAY BEFORE TALLYING THE RESULTS. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THAT THE MAJORITY OF YA'LL WANT TO SEE HER PICK JAMES. I WILL SAY THAT THERE WERE A GOOD FEW OF YOU THAT ROOTED FOR ELI. BEN EVEN HAD SOME SUPPORTERS. IT SEEMED THAT MASON'S HOTNESS WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH TO EARN HIM SO LOVE. HAHA. THANKS SO MUCH FOR VOTING. I HOPE YOU STICK AROUND EVEN THOUGH SHE MAY NOT HAVE PICKED THE GUY YOU WANTED HER TOO. **

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE FABULOUS ANNE MARIE. BUT IF I DID OWN GG SHE WOULD HAVE SO SAID YES. **

**CHAPTER EIGHT: AND THE WINNER IS…**

- - -

James Bradshaw had just left a study group for AP Physics when he felt his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. He sighed and pulled it out figuring that it was Pamela to bitch about the argument they'd had before his meeting. Instead he saw a number he didn't recognize. "Hello," he answered apprehensively.

"Hi this is Gigi Hayden is this James?" Gigi squeaked out. In theory the hardest part of the equation was picking the best possible suitor. In reality the hard part was confirming that the guy was actually interested in escorting her. This is why she decided to call James before texting all of her loved ones though she knew they were probably going crazy waiting on her decision.

"Yeah it is. Honor said you might call." James had been surprised when his sister-in-law had called during his lunch break. He'd been even more surprised when she explained that she wanted him to take a girl he didn't know to her debutante ball. Still he'd said yes because it was Honor and because he'd heard a lot about Gigi and thought she sounded nice enough. Pamela hadn't been pleased with the situation but he didn't really give a shit. Things with them were as usual rocky.

"Thank you for this. I know it's kind of an unorthodox situation." Gigi who usually was awesome at making small talk suddenly felt unsure of herself. It probably didn't help that she seemed so utterly pathetic. What kind of girl finds herself in a situation like this so close to her debutante ball?

James couldn't help but think she sounded cute. Honor had offered to send him a picture, but he hadn't found it necessary. She'd said that Gigi was beautiful and he took her word for it. "Your ex-boyfriend is a scumbag. You dated Miles Maxwell right?"

"Yeah do you know him?"

"Not really. I go to school with one of his cousins, Arthur Dixon. Arthur said he's a complete and utter asshole. He likes to flaunt his money and he's really conceited." James hoped she wasn't still pining for Miles or he'd sound like a real jerk right now. So he decided to be safe and say, "But that's just what I've heard."

Gigi knew Arthur and loved him to pieces. Artie as she preferred to call him was the person she talked to the most at the Maxwell's annual Christmas party. He was Miles' opposite. Despite the fact that they looked similar you wouldn't have guessed they were related. "Artie is just the sweetest. If you see him will you tell him I said hey?"

"Yeah I can do that no problem. So Honor said that you had your pictures on Friday. She didn't say what time though."

Gigi was surprised at just how much information Honor must have filled him in on. "Pictures are at 5:00. Do you know where Declan's studio is in Hartford?"

"No I don't, but my Garmin will so I'll find it just fine. I won't get done for the day until 3:00 so I should get to Hartford around 4:15. I'll meet you there early just in case."

"Okay I can definitely do that. Should I get a tuxedo for you or?"

"Honor is buying me a new one. I actually have to go to the Family Consumer Sciences department tomorrow to get my measurements done. She must love you." James couldn't name very many people that Honor was willing to do this much for. She had a reputation for being your average Hartford socialite, but once you got to know her you realized just how incorrect that sentiment was. Honor was funny and bubbly. She was also caring and loyal. She always took time to send him care packages and made sure that Josh called regularly. Sometimes he mused that she was more like his older sister than sister-in-law.

Gigi grinned. "It goes both ways believe me. She was really good to my sister when Logan and Rory first started dating. The Huntzbergers weren't exactly accepting even though I think the fact that Rory is a Hayden and a Gilmore is more than enough pedigree for one person."

"They didn't like my brother either, but Honor told them basically they could just kiss her ass." James couldn't remember that far back, but the stories he heard made him cringe. He'd never experienced such snobbery. He doubted he would have been able to take it like his brother had.

"Logan said basically the same thing." Gigi found this out when she was in middle school. She hadn't been able to understand why Logan was so surprised Mitchum had given him the company until explained that his parents until then hadn't spoken in half a decade. These were the parts of Logan that she didn't understand. Then again it probably helped that she wasn't your typical society child. Sure she was basically raised with a silver spoon in her mouth. Still there was something about her upbringing that just kept her from being a snobby bitch like so many girls she went to school with were. She often guessed that it was not only because of her parents, they were far too quirky to raise her like a typical Hartford brat, but also because of her sister's friends who while spoiling her taught her about the world around her. "You know supposedly we met once."

"Honor told me. I'm guessing you don't remember it either."

Gigi chuckled. "No not in the slightest. I'll try better to remember this meeting."

"Me too," James agreed. "So I guess I'll see you Friday at Declan's as soon as possible?"

"I look forward to it." Gigi found herself excited at the prospect of meeting James and she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because he sounded nice and because Honor loved him so she figured there must be something special about him. "Before I let you go my grandmothers will kill me if I don't ask. Do you have plans Friday night after the picture?"

"No I planned on staying with Josh, Honor, and Sophie seeing as you have the garden party that Saturday or is it the luncheon?" He'd overhead one of his friends who would be escorting a girl at this same ball talking about the schedule that debutantes had to keep. It seemed that over the course of the next three weeks Gigi would be very busy with parties on the weekend.

"It's actually the luncheon this Saturday still I'm impressed. Did you escort somebody last year?"

"A friend of mine was talking about it the other day during AP Physics. He's escorting a girl named Peyton Phillips, they've been together for a while I guess."

"Oh you're friends with Malcolm? And you take AP Physics?" Gigi hadn't met anyone else who was taking AP Physics a fact that utterly depressed. Okay so she knew other people they just weren't people she would normally call her friends. "How is it we weren't even on each other's radars?"

"I'm not sure. I mean I don't have any friends who go to Chilton, but I have friends who do. And yes I take AP Physics. Josh was valedictorian at Deerfield and well I'm attempting to follow in his shoes though often I'm not sure if it's going to work out. I actually was just leaving a study group for the course when you called."

"I'm taking it too because Rory was valedictorian at Chilton." Gigi was a little freaked out at this point. Could it be that she had found someone else who was as nerdy, but normal as she was?

"Doesn't it suck going to the same school as your older sibling? In some it's awesome because you're part of a legacy, but then Josh was really good at science and I'm not, but teachers they expect me to be and it's so frustrating." James admitted. He tried not to let the comparisons bother him, but sometimes he just wanted to scream. He was James Bradshaw not Josh Bradshaw. They needed to realize there was a difference.

Gigi nodded along with each thing he said though she knew he couldn't see her. "I completely agree. Rory is an amazing writer and she loves to read. I on the other hand am far more fascinated by history and though I love to read also I read completely different books than her. My history teachers love the fact that I'm better at history, but my English teachers are constantly pushing me to be more like Rory."

"Thank god we love them or we'd resent the hell out of them."

"Exactly," Gigi had never told anyone that before. She was scared it would make her sound weak and ungrateful.

"Still you were saying something before I got you off topic. You asked me if I had plans. I don't know. I plan on watching television on Josh and Honor's plasma that night after the pictures." James was hoping that maybe she was going to invite him somewhere though he knew that was wrong because he had Pamela who had somehow managed to not bring up even once. He wondered if she knew about Pamela though knowing how badly Honor wanted Gigi to pick him he figured Logan was urged to not bring her up. He figured he would see how things went on Friday before he'd decide whether or not to talk about her.

"Oh yeah every other Friday my family all gets together at the Gilmore's for dinner. I was wondering if you'd like to join me. Don't feel like you have to I just yeah." Miles had come to many a Friday night dinner though now looking back Gigi wondered if maybe her family wished she wouldn't bring him.

"I'd like that."

Gigi beamed. "Okay I'll let my grandmothers know. Do you have any food allergies I should tell them about?"

James smirked. From what Honor had told him about Rory it seemed like Gigi was a lot like her older sister. "Nothing worth noting."

"Okay well I'll see you Friday James?"

"I'll see you Friday Gigi." James confirmed.

"Thank you again for this. It's very sweet of you."

"It's my pleasure really." James assured her.

Once they had gotten off the phone James went to change into more comfortable attire and then to work on the problems they hadn't finished during the study session. He was in the middle of a particularly tricky one and was flirting with the thought of calling Gigi when he heard his phone ring. Excited about the prospect that maybe she was calling back to ask a question she hadn't remembered until now he snatched it up off his bed. He groaned though when he saw that it was Pamela calling. He didn't feel like dealing with her so he instead promptly hit ignore and then went back to work. She'd chew him out later, but right now he didn't really give a damn.

- - -

Gigi couldn't stop smiling when she hung up the phone. She felt as though she were floating on a cloud. Still she had more business to tend to. She grabbed a different portfolio and dialed the number she found on the bottom. She laughed at the ringback tone playing which was Weird Al's 'White and Nerdy'. She grinned at the way he sounded when he answered the phone. She figured he had just stuffed something into his mouth before she called and was trying his best to wash it down, but was afraid he'd miss the phone call. "Hi this is Gigi Hayden is this Ben Chapman?"

Ben was on the inside freaking out. All he could think was she picked me? Still he decided not to assume anything and sound completely pathetic so he instead said, "Yeah hi Gigi."

"Okay so I know when you agreed to be a possible escort you were agreeing to be mine, but the thing is Ben I have a really big question for you. I have a friend named Sylvie who would be like totally in love with you and she just found out today that her boyfriend was cheating on her while he was away at college. Now I realize you don't know me and you don't owe me anything, but I was wondering if you'd like to take Sylvie to the ball." It had been the fact that after the pro-con list Ben was the perfect suitor for Sylvie and Eli was perfect for Roxanne that she realized that James was the best choice for her.

For the second time today was asking Ben to do something completely uncharacteristic of him. And for the second time he wasn't sure what to say or do. "Um I don't mean to sound completely vain or anything, but what does Sylvie look like?"

"Does your phone have picture messaging?"

"Yeah."

"Okay I'll send you a picture of her and once you receive it call me right back. Okay?" He had to say yes.

"Okay," Ben wearily agreed. It didn't take long for the picture to come when it was opened he was impressed. Sylvie was beautiful not in the same way that Gigi was, but still she was beautiful. She was petite with dark features. She also seemed quirky as evidenced by the shirt she was wearing that had a stethoscope on the front. He called Gigi back and was surprised at just how quickly she answered.

"She's very pretty isn't she?" Gigi asked hopefully.

"She is, but the thing is Gigi how do you know she'll want me to escort her?"

"Because you're perfect for her," Gigi stated as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You see you're Jewish without being too over the top. You're pre-med. You love Judd Apatow. And Paris approved of you. Sylvie is like a far less intense Paris. She's much more subdued, but still she has Paris tendencies. You must like that in a girl because if you didn't you would have stayed the hell away from Paris like most people do."

Ben wondered if Gigi knew that she could be as intimidating as Paris. He doubted it. "Okay."

"You'll do it?"

"Yeah I guess so."

"Awesome. Thank you Ben. I'll make sure Paris lets you observe a really cool surgery. You won't be disappointed by Sylvie. I'm going to call her and give her your number. She'll probably call you sometime tonight or tomorrow."

"Okay."

"I'll see you at the ball Ben."

"See you then Gigi."

Gigi did a small dance at her desk once she hung up the phone with him. All she had to do now was call Sylvie and tell her and then she'd be free to text everybody the good news. She frowned when she heard a sad song playing in the background when Sylvie picked up, "Oh Sylvie turn that shit off before it makes you do something crazy."

"Just let me mope okay G? I'll be over it soon enough."

"Paul isn't worth this."

"I know, but Miles wasn't either and I saw how torn up you were when you left school yesterday."

"Touché."

"I just can't believe he would cheat on me after how hard he worked to get me back. I didn't want to be with him, but he just begged and pleaded and swore that we'd be better this time and then he does this?" This wasn't the first time that Sylvie and Paul had broken up. In fact it was one of several times. The last time though Sylvie had tried to say no when he asked her back out, but between pressure from her mother and all of his damn gestures she'd been too weak. Oh how she wished now that she'd said no.

"Boys are morons."

"No don't you see we're the morons because we fall for their shit. We let them convince us of things that are so far from the truth. It's really almost comical."

Gigi couldn't help but sort of agree with Sylvie's logic though she wouldn't admit that to her friend. "I've got good news."

"Are you going to rub in my face that you've found yourself an amazing escort while I'm taking Tom?" Sylvie asked bitterly. It wasn't that she disliked Tom as much as he was her brother's roommate and everyone would know that he was only going with her out of pity.

"No well sort of, but no. Listen Paris and Jamie found this guy for me who is just so sweet. His name is Ben Chapman and he's pre-med at Yale. He loves Judd Apatow films and he's awesome."

"You're a bitch you know that?" Sylvie questioned as she dug into a fresh bag of Cheeto's. She didn't care anymore how she looked in her dress.

"Listen before you start condemning me. I didn't pick Ben. I picked James, Rory and Logan's guy. One of the reasons I didn't pick Ben is I thought he was far better for you." Gigi explained and wondered if she was going to take a hint.

"Well thank you for not bringing a date that would drive me to drink."

Gigi rolled her eyes. For someone who was so smart sometimes she doubted Sylvie. "He wants to take you Sylvie. I talked to him and I sent him a picture of you and he would like to be your escort."

"What?" Sylvie asked though it didn't sound that much like what with her mouth full of Cheeto's. "No way."

"Way. Do you have a pen? I told him I would give you his number and you'd call."

Sylvie panicked what if he was just really good at faking normal. Or worse what if when he saw her he was disappointed with how she looked? What if Gigi had photoshopped the picture she sent him?

"Stop freaking out and get a pen. I didn't photoshop the picture. It was a recent one. He won't be disappointed. Breath," Gigi instructed calmly. She was used to Sylvie reacting this way. She was a bit of a spaz.

"Okay I'm ready," Sylvie replied once she'd found a pen in her bag.

Gigi read her off the numbers very carefully. "Now be confident Sylvie and stop listening to that depressing much."

"Okay. Thanks G. I'm sorry for being bitchy."

"I didn't expect anything less Syl." Gigi joked before hanging up.

- - -

At eleven after eight eleven different cell phones buzzed. Each of the owners opened them excitedly. In little type they read a text that said, "And the winner is James Bradshaw. Still Sylvie is taking Ben. So I guess it's almost like a tie. Love you all. – G."

Two couples rejoiced while three couples groaned. Still they were all happy that she'd made a decision though none of them were sure how Ben ended up with Sylvie.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THANKS FOR TUNING BACK IN. WERE YOU SURPRISED AT WHO SHE PICKED? THE VOTE WAS KIND OF TIGHT IN THE BEGINNING, BUT THEN AS THE DAY WORE ON JAMES TOOK A COMMANDING LEAD. I LOVED BEN TOO MUCH TO LEAVE HIM OUT IN THE COLD SO THAT'S WHY I GAVE HIM SYLVIE. OH AND AS FAR AS ELI IS CONCERNED HE'LL FIND A DEEPER CONNECTION WITH ROXANNE THOUGH I WILL ADMIT THAT YOU GET A LOT MORE OF HIM FROM HERE ON OUT. I'LL TRY TO UPDATE AGAIN SOON THOUGH I WON'T PROMSE ANYTHING IF ONLY BECAUSE MY SOCIAL CALENDAR IS PRETTY FULL THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. STILL I'LL DO MY BEST. PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YA'LL THINK. HAPPY HOLIDAYS! – KRiSTiNE. **


	9. Friday Night Dinner

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: OH MY GOSH I'M SO SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO UPDATE. THINGS ARE GETTING REALLY BUSY BECAUSE I GO BACK TO COLLEGE IN ONE WEEK. HOW MANY OF YOU THOUGHT THAT I WAS GOING TO LEAVE YOU HANGING? HAHA. I KNOW THAT I HAVE A REPUTATION FOR BEING FLAKY AT UPDATING. THANKS FOR TUNING BACK IN. I HOPE YOU ARE HAPPY WITH THIS CHAPTER. THANKS AGAIN FOR SO MANY OF THE REVIEWS. I ASSURE YOU THAT THEY HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS UPDATE BECAUSE I FELT SO GUILTY FOR NOT DOING IT EARLIER. **

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE FABULOUS ANNE MARIE. BUT IF I DID OWN GG SHE WOULD HAVE SO SAID YES. **

**CHAPTER NINE: FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER**

- - -

Honor smiled and waved when she saw James make his way into Deerfield's visitor's parking lot with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder and a garment bag in his right hand. She had been ecstatic to say the least when James had sent her a simple text saying that he would in fact be needing a new tuxedo. She'd had faith that Gigi would make the smart decision and choose James. When Logan had brought up the idea to her she had been shocked that she hadn't come up with it before. Gigi was so much better for James than that skank Pamela Bisping. She hugged him and smiled when he knowingly bent down so that she could kiss him on the cheek. "You've somehow gotten taller since the last time I saw you."

He laughed and shrugged, "I was wondering why my pants seemed to be getting shorter."

Honor looked down in horror and rolled her eyes when she saw that his parents were the perfect length. She slapped him on the shoulder. "I hate when you tease me."

"But it's too much fun," James replied honestly.

Honor rolled her eyes. "Are you excited to meet Gigi?"

James briefly considered playing it off as though this was just another day, but he knew she'd see right through that. Instead he answered honestly, "Yeah I am. We had a really awesome phone call."

"I told you so. Does this mean Pamela is going to get the boot?"

James sighed. "I just said we had an awesome phone call not that we are going to spend the rest of our lives together. Can we maybe just not talk about Pamela right now?" This was a fight they had at least once a month. His sister-in-law was not subtle in her dislike for Pamela who she typically referred to as 'skankzilla'.

"So you had a good time talking to Gigi?"

James smiled. "Yeah she was just how you described her. I'm going to eat with her at the Gilmore's tonight."

"What? You didn't tell me that. What're you going to wear? You do know how big of a deal this is right James? I mean wow. Friday night dinner is so big." Honor wished she had known this sooner because she would have bought a suit for him to wear.

It hadn't occurred to him that this was that big of a deal. "Honestly I'd just planned on wearing my uniform minus the jacket."

Honor looked at her watch and realized it was nearly 3:20. "Listen just leave the left passenger side door unlocked and I'll put a pair of Josh's dress pants and a nice shirt and tie in there for you. Okay? Now remember to tell her just how beautiful you think she looks and to comment on her dress."

"Thanks Honor. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Think a girl like Pamela is a classy suitable choice." Honor just couldn't help adding one last dig. "Now call me if you have any issues finding the place."

James agreed before tossing his stuff into the backseat of his Range Rover. He'd been impressed that she'd had a member of the staff drive it up. A Ralph Lauren garment bag was draped over the backseat. He assumed it was his tuxedo. He smiled and waved goodbye before cranking up his stereo. It had been three months since the last time he'd driven anywhere and he was going to enjoy it.

- - -

Emily and Francine were shocked when Gigi called them Wednesday night and told that James Bradshaw would now be accompanying her to the Daughters of the American Revolution debutante ball. It took a little over an hour for them to find out just exactly who James Bradshaw was, but what exactly had happened with Miles was a mystery. Until now that is. As soon as Lorelai walked into the foyer Emily and Francine pounced on her for information like two starving hyenas.

"How do you not know what happened? You almost always got the Chilton scoop before me when Rory went there." Lorelai was pretty excited to know something the other women didn't.

Emily let out an exasperated sigh. "We've been over this a million times Lorelai. We're trying to be less nosy."

"Plus this new headmaster is a widow," Richard added as he walked into the room to greet his only daughter. He bent down and kissed her softly on the cheek. "It's good to see you Lorelai. You look lovely as always."

"Hi Dad do you think you could fix me a martini?" Lorelai asked her father sweetly. In the women's rush to get the scoop neither had asked if she wanted something to drink. After taking a sip and noting just how desperate both of the women looked she smiled. "Okay so Tuesday night Gigi came home from school and announced that Miles broke up with for Keaton. Yep Keaton that new money bitch who got a nose job because of a "deviated septum". To my surprise she wasn't upset in the slightest. Okay her face was puffy which suggests she was upset earlier, but overall she seemed okay. I asked her why and that's when she informed me that Rory and Company were each going to find her prospective escorts. Wednesday at the dress fitting, she looks remarkable by way, each couple introduced her to their option. That night she picked the guy Rory and Logan found for her, James Bradshaw. I assume you have the dirt on James." Lorelai was surprised that not once did either of the women try to interrupt her. Then again they could control themselves in the name of gossip.

Emily took a deep breath before nodding. "James Bradshaw is the son of Joshua and Corinne Bradshaw. His father and brother are both architects. His brother is married to Logan sister's Honor."

"He's the captain of their championship golf team as well as number one in his class at Deerfield." Francine tacked on.

"The Bradshaws are legacy at Dartmouth, but many suggest that he is looking at other options including Yale and Princeton." Emily had been happy about this fact. She had a feeling that Gigi would not be happy having her boyfriend go to a different college.

Francine frowned when she realized that the only bad news they had uncovered was left for her to unveil. "He has a girlfriend named Pamela Bisping who goes to an all girls prep school in New Hampshire. It seems she was kicked out of Deerfield after a less than stellar academic year. On the bright side their relationship was described as tumultuous at best and it seems Honor as well as his family detests her."

Lorelai was impressed by their thoroughness though definitely not surprised. "The overall verdict is?"

Francine and Emily exchanged a look before responding at nearly the exact same time. "He is definitely a far better choice than Miles."

"I agree. He looked so cute in his picture it makes you wonder if he'll look as good in real life." It had been her desire to gush about him that had made her show up so early. Christopher, Rory, Logan, Gigi, and James wouldn't be arriving until around 6:00. Still she knew they'd want to gossip.

"He looked cute in his Facebook picture as well as his picture on the Deerfield website." Francine had almost let out a wolf whistle when she saw him. She'd always been shocked that a girl as gorgeous as Gigi would settle for a guy like Miles. Sure he was good looking, but he suffered from what Perez Hilton called "gayface".

"Who taught you about Facebook?" Lorelai asked in disbelief.

"Brigitte, the new housekeeper, showed us. She let us use her profile to search for him." Emily hadn't realized just how much there was to do on the Internet. "He looked like an advertisement for Ralph Lauren."

"I thought the same thing." Lorelai grinned. He was attractive, but not in that impossible way like Mason. "Kudos on the Facebook thing ladies I'm impressed."

Richard shook his head as he walked past the living room and heard their conversation. Ten years ago if you had told him that Lauren would spend her free time gossiping with Francine and Emily he would have never believed you. Still these past few years he'd never seen his wife or good friend so happy. Life had definitely improved for the Gilmore's as well as their inner circle. Friday night dinners were something to look forward to not avoid.

- - -

Gigi gasped quietly when she saw James walk into the small waiting room that accompanied Declan's. His picture had not done him justice. He was a little over six feet tall with messy hair that reminded her a great deal of Logan. Whereas most guys in uniforms looked pretentious he looked comfortable. His tie hung loosely around his neck. The aviators he was wearing were obviously Ralph Lauren. To put it mildly he was hot. She looked at herself in the mirror. The makeup artist had done a great job making sure she looked natural and her hair had required little work. Still she wondered if she met his expectations. She stood up. "You must be James."

"Actually no I'm Robert. Do you know where I can find Katarina?"

Gigi frowned and blushed. "Oh I haven't seen her, but I think I'm the last appointment of the day. You may want to call her. I'm sorry about the mix up. You look just like the guy I was supposed to be meeting."

James grinned, "Gotcha."

Gigi frowned and then laughed. "Oh god you did get me. Nobody mentioned that you were an asshole." She joked.

"They didn't want to ruin the surprise."

"I see. Well at least you're a cute asshole."

"Thanks," James could feel his cheeks start to redden. "Uh is there a dressing room?" He motioned to the bag he was carrying. He didn't want her to see him blush.

Gigi pointed to a room down the hall. She couldn't help but check out his ass as he walked away. She pulled out her cell phone and sent her three best friends a simple text that read, he's cuter in person. She smiled at Fallon and Audrey's response, but laughed at Sylvie's which read, but does he own a 'white and nerdy' ringback?

James finished tying his tie and then checked himself out. When he emerged from the dressing room he found Gigi laughing at a text message. "What's so funny?"

"Just something my friend Sylvie said. Make sure and tell Honor that she found the perfect tuxedo. You were made for Ralph Lauren." She inwardly groaned at how lame that must have sounded. Who was she some over the top gay fashion designer?

"You look amazing. I didn't mention that earlier, but you do. Honor told me that Stephanie had your dress made for you. She did a remarkable job."

Gigi started to thank him, but was interrupted when Mario's assistant came out and told them he was ready. It was when she stood up that she realized just how perfect of a height he was for her. Miles had been three inches taller and had been far too tall for her. She had almost considered wearing six inch heels to make the height difference less noticeable, but knew full well that there was no way she'd make it down the stairs.

"Thank god I get to end the day with a good looking couple!" Mario exclaimed when they walked into his small studio space. The couple had he just finished up with had been impossible to work with. They were shooting for Blair and Chuck from Gossip Girl but were nowhere near as fabulous looking. Instead they just looked like poor, pale rich kids. He motioned for them to get on the platform. Typically he would have had to fix them into a proper stance, but not with them. "You two must take pictures together all the time. Do you model?"

Gigi chuckled. "Uh no we don't model well at least I don't."

"I don't either." James assured the photographer.

"Still you must take pictures together a lot." Mario clicked away before motioning for them to change into a more romantic pose.

"This is actually our first time meeting each, well at least in a decade." James explained to the chatty photographer. He had to admit that they seemed to fit well together. When he took pictures with Pamela she always demanded to still be front and center in the picture. He was just supposed to be background arm candy.

Mario stopped shooting for a second. "Seriously? Well you two seem to have chemistry." He motioned for them to take a picture where he was dancing with her. He knew he found a money shot when he got one of the young man spinning her in a circle. After taking a few goofier shots he put his camera down and motioned for his assistant to transfer his shots to a cd for the young couple. "Thank you."

"I should be the one thanking you." Gigi had requested Mario specifically. He'd been filled up and typically was closed by Fridays but had made an exception for her. It probably helped that Stephanie had sent him a beautiful pair of cuff links and his boyfriend was a regular at Finn and Anne Marie's bar.

"Nonsense you guys were a phenomenal couple to end my day. I swear for a couple who just met you have a good bit of chemistry. Most of the couples I see have been together for years and can't take a great roll of film to save their lives. It's going to be hard for your grandmothers and mother to pick which picture would be best for the program." Mario stayed in business and Prada because of debutante season. Most girls were lucky to take ten great pictures, but Gigi had managed to take close to seventy five. "If you'd like you can change out of your clothes while Alana makes your disk?"

James placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her out of the room. While she changed in the dressing room he went out to his SUV and grabbed the clothes that Honor had left for him. Just as he was about to walk back in he checked his phone and saw that he had nearly a dozen missed calls from Pamela as well as five voicemails. He knew he should check them, but instead decided to send Honor a quick text thanking her again for the tuxedo and clothes before turning off his phone. Much to his surprise Gigi had already finished changing and was wearing a Ralph Lauren rugby dress. He looked down and saw that the navy tie and pants Honor had given him matched perfectly. This had to be some sort of sign right?

- - -

Rory grinned when she pulled into the long driveway to her parent's house and found Logan still sitting in his car. She knew he was probably waiting for her to arrive before heading in. She couldn't blame him. She tapped quietly on his window and smiled when turned the car off and got out. "Hiding out are we?"

"Just waiting for you is all." Logan assured her before kissing her softly on the lips. "How was your day?"

"It was good. Sales are up for last issue. You?"

"Dreadfully boring, but then again that could describe just about any day of the week. It's far better now that I'm with you. Did you feel better after this morning?" Logan had woken up to the sound of Rory puking. He'd been surprised and then worried. He'd attempted to convince her to stay home, but had been unsuccessful. She'd assured him it was probably just some Thai takeout she'd had that was on the old side.

Rory nodded. "Yeah I felt fine just like I said I would."

"Good." Logan kissed the palm of her hand before intertwining their fingers and ringing the doorbell. Both were surprised that for the fourth dinner in a row Brigitte answered the door. "Hello Brigitte."

"Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Huntzberger. May I take your coats?"

Rory smiled and allowed the blonde to take her coat. "Please call us Rory and Logan, Brigitte. You make us feel old when you call us Mr. and Mrs. Huntzberger."

"I'll do my best." Brigitte promised them. Friday night dinners were by far her favorite Gilmore event. Even though sometimes Mrs. Gilmore was a little tense there was something just exciting about it all. The house was filled with laughter and she always got to eat a delicious meal in the kitchen once everyone was seated.

"Congratulations on two months Brigitte." Logan joked before following Rory into the living room and joining her on the couch where it seemed everyone was waiting for James and Gigi to arrive.

- - -

"Okay so before we go in there let me just warn you that they are extremely nosy and sometimes a little odd. Still they mean well." Gigi explained as best she could. There was little one could do or say to prepare someone for a Friday night dinner.

James smiled. "Consider me warned."

Gigi took a deep breath before ringing the bell. She beamed when saw Brigitte standing there. This had to be some sort of record. The longest a housekeeper had lasted before Brigitte had been three dinners. "You've set a new record."

"Thank you Miss Hayden. You look lovely as usual. And you must be James Bradshaw. Everyone is excited to meet you."

James smiled and nodded.

"Well best not to keep them waiting." Gigi said and then grabbed James' arm and followed Brigitte to the living room where she knew everyone would be waiting and impatiently sipping on their drinks. "Hello all I'd like to introduce you to James Bradshaw, the man you've all been waiting for. James the lovely lady in pink is my grandmother Emily Gilmore, the dashing gentlemen beside her is my grandfather Richard. This is their house."

"It's nice to meet you." James replied cordially.

"Now the beauty in mauve is Francine, my other grandmother. Beside her are my parents Christopher and Lorelai." Gigi allowed him to say hello them also before continuing. "Last but not least the dapper couple on the loveseat is my sister Rory and your sister-in-law's brother Logan."

James felt a little foolish to say the least standing there in front of the group. He could tell that they were all appraising him. He wondered if they thought he was a step up from Miles or not. He hoped he was. "This is a lovely home you have Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore. The crown molding is phenomenal."

"Thank James. I haven't had that redone in forever. Still it's nice for someone to notice." Nobody had ever complimented the crown molding before despite the fact that Emily had spent so much time looking before finding the perfect choice. "Shall we go into the dining room for dinner?"

- - -

Dinner had gone surprisingly well. It helped that Rory had a lot of positives things to discuss. The magazine was really taking off. Still James was of course questioned about Deerfield as well as his family. Gigi had to give it to him. He'd done a great job answering questions and seemed very natural. Now though Gigi wasn't sure how he was doing because she was sitting in a separate room with her grandmothers, mother, and Rory while he accompanied her father, grandfather, and Logan to grandfather's office.

"You and Logan did a marvelous job Rory. I mean that boy is perfect for Gigi." Francine told her granddaughter. Whereas before he'd just been a step up now she realized he was more than that. He was Logan to her Rory, or Christopher to her Lorelai.

"Thank you grandmother, but I must admit it was really all Logan."

"So how did the pictures go?" Lorelai asked excitedly.

"First Mario thought we looked so natural together that he actually asked if we a) modeled and then he asked if we b) took pictures together a lot. It was so much fun." Gigi gushed.

"Well then I guess now is as good as time as any to pick the one for the program." Emily suggested.

Gigi agreed and placed the prints he had given her on the table. She'd been surprised when she hadn't been able to find an unattractive picture in the mix. The one time she'd taken pictures with Miles it had been awkward to say the least.

- - -

"So I heard at the club that Simon is furious with Miles." Richard told the group as he puffed on his cigar. "It seems he's noticed that you pulled your gag order."

"The backlash is well-deserved. He's been ineffective." Christopher remarked thoughtfully. Before reuniting with Rory Christopher was not one to read the papers. Since then he couldn't get enough news.

"I noticed there were a number of scathing articles about him all of a sudden." James normally only read the papers for the sports section, but had been unable to ignore the number of front page headlines about Simon Maxwell.

Logan smirked. "Honor didn't tell me that you enjoyed newspapers."

"Let me guess she took time to mention that Pamela was a skank though." James half joked.

"She only mentions what she considers to be the essentials. How does Pamela feel about you escorting Gigi?"

James shrugged. "She isn't pleased, but then again I'm rarely pleased with her."

"She's one of those huh?" Richard commented. "Those girls are rather aggravating. I wish as generations changed girls like that would stop existing. Does your family approve of her?"

James scoffed.

"Why keep her around then?" Christopher asked honestly. "You can't enjoy being terrorized about her. It seems Honor makes her opinion known on a regular enough basis."

"I'm honestly not sure why we stay together. I've been toying with the idea of breaking up with her I just I don't want her to think it's because of Gigi though she is a great girl." James wasn't sure why he was sharing so much information with a group of men he hardly knew.

"Well I suggest you figure your plan of action out soon or else you'll be stuck with Pamela." Logan advised sagely. "And don't worry we'll keep Pamela's existence a secret though I suggest you tell her soon because the Pamelas always make their presence known even if you aren't together anymore."

"Is this why guys hang out in saunas?" James queried.

"Yes, yes it is." Richard answered honestly. "It's nice isn't it?"

- - -

"I know it may be a little unorthodox, but I think we go with this goofy picture of the two of them. There is just something about it." Rory replied as she pointed to the one with James dipping Gigi as if they were out of an old movie.

All of the ladies examined the pictures before agreeing that Rory was right. It helped that this picture would make her stand out. Most couples would go with the more traditional pictures.

"Are you okay Gigi?" Emily asked earnestly.

Gigi smiled. "I am. When everything first happened I was temporarily devastated I mean it's one thing for your boyfriend to break up with, but it's another when it's because the other girls' willing to put out. Still I think the last few days have taught me that we weren't meant to be together. Plus his decision has made me realize that there are way better guys out there and that Miles was if you'll excuse my French an ass."

"He really was Gigi. We didn't want to say anything before, but he was pompous." Francine had briefly wondered if he was somehow related to Shira Huntzberger.

Lorelai nodded. "He deserves to be with a snooty bitch like Keaton. He was bringing you down."

Gigi smiled and that's when she noticed Rory start to pale. "Are you okay Rory?"

"Yeah I just have had this nauseous feeling all day." Rory realized now that the reason she hadn't felt sick earlier today is because she hadn't eaten anything all day.

Emily glanced down at her watch. "Well how about we end Friday night dinner a little early then. It'll give you a chance to go home and rest. Plus Lorelai weren't you wanting to catch some movie tonight. Now you won't have to Tivo it."

- - -

When James looked up and saw Gigi standing in the doorway to Richard's office he'd been surprised. Before her arrival they'd been discussing this years Ryder's cup as well as Tiger Wood's injury. He hadn't even realized just how late it had gotten until he glanced at his watch.

"Logan, Rory isn't feeling well and headed home." Gigi explained.

Logan frowned. "Is she feeling nauseous again?"

Gigi nodded.

"I better be going. Still the four of us really should get in a golf game at the club before you head back to Deerfield James."

James smirked. "I'll get your phone number from Gigi and I'll send you a text."

Logan kissed Gigi on the phone. "Night G, have fun at the luncheon tomorrow."

"Night Logan, I will. You know how much I love cucumber sandwiches." Gigi joked. "We better be going too James. I've got French labs to do tonight if I want to have a fun weekend."

James stood up and shook Christopher and Richard's hands. "It was great talking to both of you. I look forward to our game on Sunday."

Once they were outside Gigi couldn't help but laugh. "You are like the best schmoozer I've ever met."

"What? I wasn't schmoozing. I was just being me."

"You just bring up crown molding in normal conversation?"

James shook his head no, "Only when it's as impressive as your grandparents. I'm from a family of architects. I notice those things."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." James confirmed.

"That's cool. Thank you for coming James."

"It was my pleasure really. I had a great time talking with the guys and the food was amazing." James had definitely not expected Friday night dinner to be anything like this. He'd expected something far stuffier. Still he was happy to be proven wrong.

"Well I'm glad. Do you need my address or?"

"Actually Honor and Josh live just down the street from your father's house. I didn't know that until Logan told me."

"Good." Gigi wasn't sure what to do. She stood there beside her Tahoe just staring at him.

James wasn't sure what came over him, but he gently kissed her on the cheek before saying that he'd see her in the morning and hopping in his car and driving away.

- - -

Rory sighed as she sat down the toilet and waited for timer to signal it was time for her to check the little white stick. It had occurred to her in the middle of the staff meeting that her sudden nausea could be a sign that she was finally pregnant. She hadn't wanted to say anything to Logan earlier because she was afraid that she may just be getting her hopes up. She looked at the timer and sighed. Finally after what felt like a lifetime the timer dinged and she grabbed the stick. She said a quick prayer before looking at it.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: SO I LEFT YOU HANGING OBVIOUSLY. I'M A JERK. I'M SORRY. HAHA. I JUST THOUGHT IT WOULD BE MORE EXCITING THIS WAY. I WANTED TO APOLOGIZE AGAIN FOR TAKING SO LONG TO UPDATE. AT LEAST IT WAS A LONG ONE. I SWEAR THIS STORY EVERY CHAPTER IS LONG WHICH IS NEW TO ME. THANKS FOR READING. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT. I TRIED HARD TO INCLUDE A LITTE BIT OF EVERYTHING. I'LL UPDATE AS SOON AS I CAN THOUGH I WANT TO WARN YOU THAT IT MAY TAKE ME A LITTLE WHILE. OH AND IN NEXT CHAPTER WE WILL PROBABLY FINALLY MEET SKANKZILLA. ARE YOU EXCITED? I AM. PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. – KRiSTiNE. **


	10. Are You Sure? I'm Positive

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: QUESTION? HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED HOW MANY TEENAGERS GET MARRIED OR ATTEMPT TO GET MARRIED ON ABC FAMILY SHOWS? IT'S QUITE MIND BOGGLING IF YOU ASK ME. HAHA. ANYWAY I HOPE YA'LL ARE PLEASED WITH THIS CHAPTER. I SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF TIME THINKING ABOUT IT. **

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE FABULOUS ANNE MARIE. BUT IF I DID OWN GG SHE WOULD HAVE SO SAID YES. **

**CHAPTER TEN: ARE YOU SURE? I'M POSITIVE**

- - -

Pamela thought she was going to explode. She sat on her bed glaring at a photo of them when he surprised her at the Cape over the summer. How dare he not return her phone calls or answer her texts? It was bad enough that he was escorting that dumb bitch to her debutante ball, but now he was refusing to acknowledge her when he was obviously with her. She picked her pillow up and screamed into it. Her roommate Makayla didn't even flinch. Instead she just continued to read and listen to her iPod. She was used to Pamela's fits of rage. She was about call his phone for what had to have been the millionth time when suddenly it started vibrating in her hand. His name flashed across the screen. She flipped it open. "It's about time James."

James knew that she was going to mad when she answered the phone. She hated to be ignored. That still didn't make him feel like dealing with it. "I know I'm sorry. I've been busy all day. This is my first free moment."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a horrible liar? You had enough time to turn your phone off even though you'd seen that I had been trying to get a hold of you." She pointed out. It was when she realized that he'd turned his phone off that she went from being pissed to furious.

James didn't say anything. He knew there was nothing he could say to dispute her accusation.

"Silence means you know I'm right. Were you fooling around in the Range Rover? Did you let her get farther than you let me?" When they'd first started dating she'd thought that the fact that he was a virgin was adorable. She also thought it was exciting that she'd probably be able to conquer him. It seemed guys were always the conquerors. When he'd shown up at the beach looking adorable in the bright yellow Lacoste polo she'd bought him she'd thought that that he was telling her he was ready, but when she tried to consummate the relationship he said he wanted to wait. Things hadn't been the same since then.

James groaned. "No we weren't fooling around. God Pamela is that all you think about? Are you sure you're not a boy?" He knew she was unhappy with his unwillingness to do the deed. He just didn't want to become yet another name on her list.

"Well then what were you doing James? I mean for fuck's sake pictures don't take that long."

"I went to her grandparent's house for dinner if you must know."

Pamela gasped. He was always so reluctant to deal with her family. "When's the wedding?"

"Don't do that Pamela. It was just dinner."

"I bet Honor is pleased with herself. Can't you see she's manipulating you? What does it say about this girl if she has to have her brother-in-law wrangle her a date this close to her debutante's ball? I mean she must be so tragic looking."

James rolled his eyes. "We both know you've checked out her Facebook so we both know she's not tragic looking. And I explained to you that her boyfriend dumped her for another girl. As far as Honor is concerned there is no need to bring her into this discussion. She was just trying to help Gigi out."

"We both know that isn't all she's doing. She's trying to replace me. Admit it James." The first time Pamela met Honor she knew right away that the other women disliked her immensely. Honor was just too polite. Still James assured her that it didn't matter what Honor thought about her that he was the one actually dating her, whether this was actually true or not had yet to be seen.

"It doesn't matter what she's trying to do. If I've told you once I've told you a million times you're my girlfriend Pamela. Don't you trust me? I trust you even though you've actually proven that I shouldn't." James knew that little comment would push her further over the edge, but he honestly didn't give a shit.

"Fuck you James. You said you were over that. We were on a break." Pamela had a brief fling with her family's gardener while James was sailing with his family following the week school got out last year. He'd been upset with her academic performance and had decided to take a break to think. When he'd returned he discovered a hickey on her neck he hadn't given her. It had taken a lot of pleading for him to forgive her. Despite saying he was over it the fact that he was quick to bring it up suggested differently.

"Well maybe I'm not." James whispered quietly. It was true that he had tried to get over it, but try was the keyword. He tried, but didn't succeed.

Pamela sighed. "I just don't understand why you had to escort her to her debutante ball? You know how much it hurt me that no one would allow me to debut all because my family's status as new money. Is she better than me James? Is she sweeter? Does she love school? Would your parents approve?" She already knew the answer, but wanted to hear him say it.

"Honestly yes she is and they would." He knew that if he had answered any differently she would have pushed him until he told her truth. She was difficult that way. He couldn't help but think that made her a bit of a masochist.

"We're not working are we?" Her voice was soft. This was the side of her that only James could bring out. He was the only one who could make her this vulnerable.

"We haven't been for a long time Pam. I mean we seem like one of those overly dramatic couples on One Tree Hill."

She let out a small laugh. "So you swear this has nothing to do with her?"

He wanted to say that yes it had everything to do with her. Today with Gigi made him realize that this was how normal relationships came across. Most couples laughed more than they fought. Most couples didn't say fuck you nearly as much as they said I love you. But because Pamela was so vulnerable and he could hear that she was on the verge of tears he lied, "I swear. We just haven't clicked. We've been trying to make it work, but it's not something you can force."

Pamela tried ignore the feeling in her gut that said otherwise. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive." James attempted to reassure her.

"I'm still going to hate her." Pamela admitted.

"I know."

They chatted for a few more minutes and then they hung up. James knew he had to tell Gigi about Pamela, but he also knew that he'd be able to actually act on his impulses without feeling guilty. It wasn't that he wanted Gigi to be his girlfriend as much as he wanted to explore the possibility. He groaned as he got off the bed and headed down the hall to the living room where Honor was watching Clean House with Josh. He knew she was going to be so smug when he had to admit that she was right about Gigi.

(How much do you hate me for starting the chapter with James and Pamela and not Rory? Haha.)

- - -

Rory took a deep breath and said a quick prayer before looking at the little white stick. Her eyes bulged. She put it down on the counter and then opened the bathroom door. She found Logan standing beside their bed no longer wearing a shirt with his belt and fly undone.

"Are you okay Ace?" Logan asked worriedly. "Gigi said you weren't feeling well."

Rory nodded, but didn't say anything. For some reason she couldn't seem to find her voice.

Logan noticed just how pale she looked and crossed the room to where she was standing. "Ace what's the matter? You don't look so good."

Rory looked up at him and then she started to cry. She walked back into the bathroom and retrieved the stick. She handed it to him.

"Is this what I think it is?" Logan asked. His heart sped up. He looked at the stick and then back at her. He wasn't sure what it meant. By the looks of her tears she hadn't gotten the results she wanted. "Oh Ace its okay. Don't cry. We'll have a baby soon enough. I promise. Just don't cry."

Rory pulled back. "We are going to have a baby Logan. I'm not crying because I'm sad. I'm crying because I'm happy. It's positive. I'm pregnant. I'm actually pregnant."

Logan wasn't sure what do. He picked her up and spun her around. "Oh my god Ace you scared the shit out of me." He was so relieved that she was pregnant. He was scared that it wasn't going to happen for them. He was worried that all of his promises that they would get pregnant and have children were empty and by making them he was doing more harm than good.

"It occurred to me that my nausea might be morning sickness while I was at work. I didn't want to get my hopes up. I'm so happy Logan. I just was so worried that it wasn't going to happen to me. I was scared I was barren and that the closest I would get to being a Mom was my part in raising Gigi." Rory admitted. She had been so uneasy about taking the test. She wasn't sure if she could handle another negative test. They'd gone through a similar experience a couple of months ago. It had taken three days for her to get over it.

Logan had known for a while that she was keeping all of this to herself. He'd attempted to discuss it with her, but hadn't been sure how to properly approach the subject. "Even if we hadn't been able to conceive we could have adopted Rory."

"Your parents hate me enough as it is. The last thing I need is for them to snub me because I couldn't produce a real Huntzberger heir."

"Any child we had to together whether it was biologically ours or not would be as much a Huntzberger as I am." Logan assured her. He needed her to understand that he was serious about all of this and that he wasn't just saying it because she was in fact pregnant with his child.

Rory smiled gratefully and kissed him softly on his collarbone before resting her head in his neck. It felt like this huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. "I love you so much Logan."

"I love you more."

"Impossible."

Logan smirked and then he gently placed a hand on her still flat stomach.

"Thank you."

"For what?" Logan looked at her curiously.

"Putting up with my mood swings and my highs and lows throughout all of this," Rory explained quietly. There were times when it was really bad that she wondered if he was going to leave her. It wasn't that he acted like he was going to leave her as much as she worried he would. She'd heard that many marriages couldn't survive something like not being able to have a child. What made hers any different? "I know it couldn't have been easy for you."

"It wasn't, but only because I felt so useless. I didn't know what you needed from me. I felt like I was failing you." Logan had confided all of this information to Honor. He couldn't tell anyone else because he knew it would embarrass Rory. It didn't help that other than Finn and Anne Marie the other couples weren't leaning towards wanting children at least at his point in their life.

"We need to learn to voice our feelings more." Rory couldn't believe they'd both blamed themselves. "And you weren't failing me." She gently patted her stomach. She couldn't wait to actually be a mom. Helping to raise Gigi had been so gratifying. "So it seems like Gigi and James really hit off."

"Better than I could have even imagined," Logan had been impressed with James. He'd been confident, but soft spoken. He'd been intelligent, but not in that irritating or impossible to deal with way. "We should celebrate."

"How do you propose we do that?" Rory asked suggestively. She was standing in the middle of her closet wearing a moss colored bra and thong.

"Well not what you're thinking. That's just too weird for me right now." Logan admitted sheepishly.

Rory shook her head in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? We read the same baby books which means you know that it won't hurt the baby."

"Still I'm not ready for it. Give me blue balls for a couple of weeks and I'll be singing a different tune, but just not yet." He crossed the room to where they kept a small stereo. He turned it on. "How about we dance instead? They're playing our song." He swayed along with the music and beckoned for her to come join him.

She couldn't resist. She giggled when he spun her around. It was great to feel young again.

- - -

Gigi was in the middle of working on French labs when she heard a soft tap on her bedroom door. "Come in." She called without bothering to stop what she was doing.

Christopher opened the door quietly. He smiled at the way she looked sitting at her desk. She was wearing pink pajamas and had her blonde hair piled on top of her hair. "Bonjour splendide."

"Hi Dad. Nice use of the word gorgeous instead of the usual sweet little girl." Gigi thought it was cute that her father insisted on greeting her in French. She figured it was his way of using the language that had been forced on him when he went to Chilton.

"Merci. How goes it?"

"Pretty good. Madame is horrendous and assigns us far too much lab work but other than it's good." Gigi sensed her father had something to discuss with her, but he wasn't sure how to phrase it. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah no everything's great. Everyone seemed to really like James. Is he really as nice as he seems or is he just a terrific actor?"

Gigi smiled and nodded. "We're freakishly similar, but in a good way. You guys seemed to be having a nice conversation when I walked in."

"He's got an excellent golf game. I think he could even give you a run for your money." Five years ago Christopher had given up on the dream that one day he might be better than his daughter. She was just too good. It helped that she had been bred to one day play on the LPGA.

"We'll see about that. Still it doesn't seem likely you came in here to just shoot the breeze when we both know that Kitchen Nightmares is on."

Christopher sighed. It was impressive just how well she could read him. "You're right. Sherry called me earlier today and expressed interest in your debutante ball. She'd like to come. I told her I wanted to talk to you about it first."

Gigi frowned. She rarely talked to Sherry. As far as she was concerned Lorelai was her mother. It was Lorelai who taught her how to put on mascara and took her shopping for her first bra. It was also Lorelai who made a point to make huge gestures to celebrate her birthday. Sherry had given her nothing more than her blonde hair and blue eyes. "What am I supposed to do? If I say I don't want her to be there she's just going to pester me until I give in."

"I know G. She is your Mom though. I think she's really trying to make an effort to be more involved." Christopher spent a great deal of time trying not to resent Sherry. If it weren't for Lorelai and his family he probably wouldn't succeed. He knew that Sherry's workaholic tendencies hurt Gigi.

"Fine she can come, but that doesn't mean I'm going to change my introduction to include her."

Christopher smiled. "Maybe just think about changing your intro."

"Okay."

"I love you G and I'm proud of you." Christopher stood up and softly kissed her on the forehead.

"Love you too Dad."

Once he was gone Gigi groaned she didn't feel like dealing with her mother and more importantly she didn't feel like changing her introduction. She decided not to think about it and went back to working on her labs. She was in the middle of conjugating when her cell phone started to ring. She looked down and grinned when she read his name on her caller ID, "Hey James."

"You sound stressed. Is everything okay?"

"I am now that I'm talking to you."

"Do you want to talk about it?" James asked though he got the feeling that she was going to say no.

"Nah it's just my mother being her usual irritating self."

James frowned. It seemed like she had a great relationship with Lorelai at dinner.

"Lorelai is my stepmother. My biological mother is named Sherry and she lives/works in Paris. She wants to attend the ball and I had to agree to allow her to attend even though I don't want her there. Still enough about her she'll kill my mood. How about we talk about this impromptu phone call?"

"It just occurred to me that I didn't know what color your dress was tomorrow and I wanted to see what color tie I should wear." James really just wanted to talk to her. This was just a lame excuse.

"Hot pink and black," Gigi had a feeling there was more to this phone call than he was letting on.

"Cool well I'll let you get back to your labs."

"I can talk for a few minutes. Do you by chance watch The Office?"

James laughed. "Are you kidding me? Question what kind of bear is best?"

"God James where have you been all my life?" She was half joking, half serious. Had she known that there was a guy out there that was perfect for her as he was she would have probably been the one to break up with Miles instead of the other way around.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: SO THAT WAS THE UDPATE. I HOPE YOU LIKED IT. I'M TRYING TO GET THEM OUT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE WHEN I GET BACK TO SCHOOL I'LL UPDATE VERY ERRATICALLY AND I KNOW HOW ANNOYING THAT CAN BE. THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ. I MUST SAY THAT I WAS HONESTLY TOYING WITH THE IDEA OF THE TEST BEING NEGATIVE BUT I FELT LIKE I WOULD HAVE A RIOT ON MY HANDS IF I DID THAT. HAHA. PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. WHAT'D YA'LL THINK OF PAMELA? I DECIDED TO MAKE HER MORE HUMAN THAN SHIRA WAS. LOVE YA'LL. – KRiSTiNE. **


	11. AntiPaul and AntiMiles

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: JAMES AND PAMELA ARE DUNZO. SHERRY WILL ARRIVE ON THE SCENE IN A COUPLE OF CHAPTERS. BEN IS BACK WITH A VENGEANCE. OH AND I DIDN'T HAVE THE SLIGHTEST IDEA WHAT GIGI'S MIDDLE NAME IS SO I TOOK THE LIBERTY TO MAKE ONE UP FOR HER. YEAH THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT FOR NOW. THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS DRIVEL. **

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE FABULOUS ANNE MARIE. BUT IF I DID OWN GG SHE WOULD HAVE SO SAID YES. **

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: ANTI-PAUL AND ANTI-MILES**

- - -

"So I'm proud of you for taking the news about Sherry so well." Lorelai told Gigi as she zipped up her dress. "I know that it wasn't easy for you to be mature about all of this." When Christopher had told her about Sherry's request she too had been upset. She felt like Gigi's ball was a private matter for close family only. Part of her knew that the only reason she felt that way though was because she was scared to lose Gigi to Sherry even though Christopher had assured her that was not only crazy, but impossible.

Gigi shrugged. "I didn't really have a choice. You know how desperate and needy she can be. The last thing I wanted was for her to blow up my email and voicemail with empty promises about how she wants to get to know me better." Gigi paused remembering Sherry's pleas to allow her to attend her sweet sixteen. Upon arrival Sherry questioned everything from Gigi's choice of theme, Copacabana, to her decision to have Lane and Dave's band play as part of her birthday present. It he bad been hell. Her mom nearly decked Sherry right after her father surprised her with the black fully loaded Chevy Tahoe she'd been hoping for. "I told Dad I wouldn't change my introduction. It's still going to say that Georgia Winifred Hayden is the daughter of Christopher and Lorelai Hayden because as far as I'm concerned you're my Mom and she's just well she's just Sherry, the woman who wanted me to fit in her schedule to the point that she actually scheduled a c-section and I can barely tolerate."

Lorelai blinked a couple of times to try and keep the tears at bay. This wasn't the first time that Gigi had made a declaration of this nature nonetheless it made her emotional. "Oh G you sure know how to cut a girl to the core." She swiped her hand across her cheek to brush away a couple of stray tears that had escaped.

"Oh Mom I didn't mean to make you cry I just needed you to know. Whenever Sherry pops up I'm always worried you'll start to doubt your importance in my life." Gigi hugged her mother tightly.

"I know kid and sadly enough sometimes I think I need to hear it. You know I love you the exact same way right? You know you're just as much my daughter as Rory is?"

Gigi smiled and nodded. Lorelai had made her feel so much like her own daughter that sometimes she wondered if Sherry was just a surrogate. Of course that was impossible and she'd never once told anyone about her suspicions but still they were there in the back of her mind.

"Now as much as I love having this Hallmark moment we better get to work on your hair and makeup now because Sylvie is going to pop up any minute." Lorelai joked. It was Sylvie's panic stricken moments of fashion distress that always made Lorelai think she was a brunette version of Paris. Well that and the fact that she was what most people would consider to be on the intense side. Just as Lorelai had put the finishing touches to Gigi's hair and makeup the door to her bedroom flew open and in came a frazzled looking Sylvie.

"Help," Sylvie pleaded as she dropped a garment bag on the bed. She unzipped the bag and pulled out a simple peach colored dress. "I picked it because I knew Paul would like it and then when I tried it on this morning I realized that Paul really had horrible taste in dresses and this is going to be the first time Ben actually sees me face to face and the last thing I need is to look like a fashion victim."

Lorelai smiled sympathetically. The dress really was retched. Not only was peach a terrible color for her pale skin tone, but the cut was all wrong. She'd look like a blind and unattractive grandmother in that getup. "Take a deep breath Sylvie before you have an asthma attack. You came to the right place. I'm sure Gigi has something in the closet that you can wear. Go ahead in there and look while I finish up."

Sylvie dropped the unsightly dress on the bed and went into Gigi's closet. She was not sure what she would do without Lorelai or Gigi to save her in moments like this. The first time it had happened they'd been fourteen and were getting ready for a formal. You see this wasn't the first time that Sylvie had bought a dress that was not right for her. It was a bad habit of hers. Audrey, Fallon, and Gigi often listed it as her worst habit. At one point her friends made a rule that she wasn't allowed to go without one of them there with her. She'd bought the dress with Paul during a trip to Cambridge to visit a couple of old friends. He'd assured her that it was fabulous. God how dumb she was to have trusted him.

"G text Ben and let him know there has been a change of plans. Tell him to come here and the four of you can carpool to the luncheon." Lorelai instructed as she applied blush to her cheeks. She smiled and clapped her hands. "You look vonderful dahling." She complimented in her best Zsa Zsa Gabor voice.

Gigi looked up and saw that she did in fact look wonderful. She stood up and blew her mother an air kiss so as not to ruin her makeup. "What would I do without you?"

"Oh that is a list that could go on forever. Let's start with completely underestimate how much fun a metallic gel pen can be or lack a ranking system for hot yard guys." Lorelai joked and then ventured into the closet where Sylvie seemed to be overwhelmed by all the choices. It took two seconds for Lorelai to decide that she would look amazing in the white and navy shirt dress that Stephanie had picked up for Gigi during her last trip to Los Angeles.

Sylvie who was used to being styled by Lorelai didn't even question it, but rather rushed to the bathroom to change. When she emerged she looked at Gigi and Lorelai expectantly and let out a sigh of relief when they nodded in affirmation that she looked hot. With that part done she sat in front of Gigi's mirror and allowed Lorelai to do her hair and makeup.

"So are you nervous about meeting Ben face to face for the first time?" Lorelai asked as she tried to decide what to do with Sylvie's hair.

Sylvie bit her lip and nodded. She'd barely gotten five hours of sleep the night before because she was so ready to get this meet and greet over with. "I just hope that our chemistry is real. You always hear about people having so much chemistry in email and over the phone and then when they meet it's a total letdown. I'm trying not to get my hopes up."

Lorelai reassuringly squeezed Sylvie's right shoulder. "Don't worry Syl; I'm sure it'll be great. I mean he was handpicked by Paris. How much more proof do you need that he's perfect for you."

Sylvie laughed knowing that Lorelai was right. She had met Paris a number of times over the years and understood fully why people said that they were a lot alike. While she was more subdued than Paris and more apt to talking with people her age the similarities were still obvious. Some people would have blanched at the fact that by saying you were just like Paris that meant you were intense and maybe even a little neurotic. Sylvie on the other hand wore it like a badge of honor.

- - -

Christopher was sitting in his office watching the Golf channel when he heard someone knocking on the front door. He glanced at his watch as he got up. He figured it must have been James seeing as the luncheon was in just under a half an hour. To his surprise not only was James standing there, but also a boy who looked just like George Michael from Arrested Development. He assumed this must be Sylvie's date. The boy that Paris had picked out for Gigi, but Gigi had decided was better suited for Sylvie. "Hi James, hi Sylvie's date, sorry I don't know your name."

"Ben Chapman, it's nice to you Mr. Hayden." Ben had been on his way to Sylvie's house when he got Gigi's text. Thanks to his GPS system he had no problem finding the large colonial house that Gigi was raised in. He'd been surprised when a black Range Rover had pulled in the drive behind him. When he got out and saw that the guy was around his age, he realized that this must have been the guy that Gigi chose. He had to admit that he did look more like her type of guy.

Christopher ushered them into the house and into his office. "The girls are still upstairs getting ready. It shouldn't be too much longer. Are you guys excited about the luncheon?" He joked. No straight guy was excited about a debutante luncheon.

"Oh yeah I couldn't sleep just dreaming about those cucumber sandwiches and the thought of my table manners being observed and more than likely corrected." James had been to enough of these things to know that eating could actually be made into a chore.

"And it's not like they ever feed you anything substantial. The last time I had to go to something like this I stopped at McDonald's beforehand and got a couple of Big Mac's." Ben had always hated attending such stuffy events. At first sight most people didn't realize that Ben came from money. He just seemed like your typical smart middle class kid that got into an Ivy League school because of sheer effort. In reality his mother owned a world renowned cosmetics company and his father, who had passed away when he was eight, had been a famous playwright. His SAT score alone would have gotten him into Yale, but still he made sure his grades were good. His last name alone would get him into medical school, but still he worked hard to be more than a spoiled rich kid. What made him realize just how much he liked Sylvie is the fact that she had the same work ethic and desire to be great. And because he liked her he was willing to go through all of this just to know her better.

"Do either of you know anybody who's going to be there other than the girls?" Christopher couldn't imagine being in their shoes. He'd always been guaranteed to at least have Digger at the events keep him company. He thought it would be daunting to go somewhere where you didn't know anyone, but most of them knew each other. He figured it would be like being the third wheel in a conversation about an inside joke.

Ben shook his head no. "I graduated from Phillips-Exeter so most of my friends who would attend things like this are members of Boston society."

"PEA alumni and you go to Yale? That must not have been a popular choice." Christopher remarked. He knew from his boarding school days that Exeter was first and foremost a Harvard feeder school. It was one thing to go to Dartmouth or Brown, but Yale? No Yale was where the Andover kids went.

Ben laughed. "It's not quite like that anymore though I will say I did meet some resistance when I announced my plans. People seem to think Harvard Medical School is better than Yale. I don't bother to attempt to correct them."

"It's just like how despite the fact that Cornell is very much an Ivy League school it's like the red headed stepchild of the Ivy League. People always feign politeness when you say you intend to go there." James' good friend Brent was going to Cornell next year even though his family was very much Harvard legacy. People constantly pressured him to aim higher than Cornell and to follow in his father's footsteps.

"At least you're not headed to Brown." Christopher joked. "I'm a Princeton grad so I've received plenty of ribbing in my forty years."

"Princeton? I thought Gigi was Yale bound." This has been one of the first things that James had learned about her.

Christopher smiled and nodded. "She is. Hayden's are Princeton legacy, but Gilmore's are Yale legacy. Rory went to Yale so more than likely Gigi will follow. Plus 7 out of the 10 members of Rory's little group hold degrees of some sort from Yale. Lane didn't go to college. Dave went to USC for a semester before deciding to officially be a professional musician. Anne Marie went to university in Australia casually. As you can see the ones who took college "seriously", and I use that term loosely because Finn is not known for being serious, went to Yale. Princeton never had a shot."

"You're still not trying to push your alma mater?" James wished he was that lucky. His father pushed Dartmouth every time they spoke. Secretly or not so secretly James was considering going to Yale or maybe even Columbia. Still his disinterest in Dartmouth was not because people did not take it seriously as a member of the Ivy League as much as he desperately wanted to forge his own path. He was tired of being James Bradshaw, Josh's little brother and Joshua's youngest son.

Christopher shook his head. "I'd be fighting a losing battle if I did."

"That's very anti-elitist of you." Ben surmised.

"I do what I can to not perpetuate a stereotype." The last thing he wanted was to be the second coming of Straub Hayden. While he loved his father he never understood him. He never wanted Gigi to not be able to understand him.

Lorelai strutted into her husband's office like she was walking a catwalk. "Gentleman if you'll please turn you're attention to the door I'd like to introduce to you two of the hottest debutantes ever to walk down the Daughters of the American Revolution staircase."

Gigi walked in and curtsied. She blew air kisses at all three guys.

Sylvie who despite knowing she looked fabulous still felt awkward thus she decided to make a joke and walked in as if she was Mary Katherine Gallagher. In other words she did the Superstar. To her delight Ben actually laughed and applauded her foolishness.

"Let's take a couple of quick pictures and then we'll let you guys go ahead and go." Lorelai instructed the two couples who to her amusement didn't fight and instead willing posed for pictures. Fifteen pictures later she assured the couples that they looked fabulous and urged them to attempt to have fun at the luncheon.

Once they had left Christopher looked at his wife and sighed. "I feel old."

"Want to go upstairs and have a pillow fight?" Lorelai asked suggestively.

Christopher grinned, "Only if having a pillow fight is code for something far more beneficial to burning calories as well as far more fun."

"How about we do both?"

"Deal." Christopher comprised and then he picked her up and carried her upstairs.

- - -

Keaton Somersby eyed and judged the other tables silently while she pretended to give a shit about what her three cronies Paisley, Chanel, and Nicolette were discussing. She vaguely heard Paisley mention Whitney Port from The Hills. Typically she would have been involved in a conversation of this nature. She loved Lauren Conrad with a passion though sometimes she fretted that she was more like Kristen than she liked. She glanced again at one particular table to her left. It was Gigi's table. She couldn't wait to see who the blonde had found to be her escort. She knew there was no way he was anyone acceptable. All of the good choices had long been snapped up. She looked over to the boy who was sitting beside her. She placed her hand on his thigh as she continued to look around.

- - -

"You look amazing," Ben whispered into Sylvie's ear once they had all piled into James' Range Rover and were on their way.

Sylvie brought her hand up to her cheek where she was sure she had started to blush. "Thank you. You look pretty dapper yourself. How'd you know I was wearing navy?"

"It was the color that I thought would look best on you so I was pretty sure you would pick it." Ben left out the part that he had consulted his mother on the topic. She'd been in France when he'd called and asked for her advice. She'd been the one who after seeing her picture said that navy was the color that would look best on her. She'd also been delighted to hear that her son was interested in a girl of Sylvie's status. His mother, he would glumly admit, was very much an elitist.

"I actually almost wore this horrible peach dress, but thankfully Lorelai was able to help me. She's a real fashion guru. That's why I had you pick me up at Gigi's. I knew there was no way I'd be dressed in time to get back to my house to meet you. I hope you didn't mind."

Ben shook his head no. "It was no problem at all. Plus it was nice getting to meet James before we get there. It would have been a little intimidating meeting all of your friends at one time."

"Believe me my friends aren't going to be the intimidating ones. It's going to be that bitch Keaton Somersby who is going to be eyeballing us. She's going to be furious when she realizes that Gigi's last minute escort is far cuter and nicer than Miles ever was." Sylvie was excited to see the shocked on Keaton's face. She just wished she could take a picture. She decided to text Audrey and Fallon so that they would take know to take a picture.

- - -

Fallon cackled when she read Sylvie's text and shared a knowing glance with Audrey. She was so happy her friend had thought of it because neither one of them would have.

"What do you have up your sleeves?" Rafe, Audrey's boyfriend asked knowingly. He'd seen the glance they'd shared. He knew how devious they could be all the while looking innocent and lily pure.

Fallon leaned forward and in a hushed tone told the guys about Sylvie's text, "Brilliant right?"

"This new escort is that much of a step up from Miles?" Daniel hadn't even known about the break up until he'd seen Miles sitting at Keaton's table. Because he was a plebe at the United States Naval Academy he didn't get to talk to his girlfriend as regularly as he would have liked. When they did talk they tended to talk more about themselves than their friends. Thus he was out of the loop about life at Chilton after his graduation..

Audrey nodded furiously. "Not only is he cuter than Miles, but from what Gigi said he's got an actual personality. You should have heard her gush."

"She gushed?" Rafe was surprised. Gigi was many things, but a gusher was not one of them.

"Yep, she gushed. Sylvie has been walking on a freaking cloud since Wednesday. I swear it sounds like Ben is her soul mate." Fallon added. Never in a million years did she think her friend would be this crazy about a guy.

"I wonder if Paul knows." Daniel joked. "I swear when she talked about him you would have thought she was talking about an episode of that Dominic Dunne show Power, Privilege, and Justice or whatever."

"Wrong she was more excited about the show." Rafe quipped.

Audrey's phone buzzed signaling she had a text. It was from Sylvie and said _we're about to walk in. _She got her phone ready and motioned for Fallon to do the same. When Keaton saw Gigi walk in the room on James' arm she fumed. First she gasped and then she gritted her teeth before settling on a very unattractive scowl. It was priceless to say the least. Fallon was smart enough to get a couple shots of Miles who looked like a wounded puppy when he saw that Gigi had upgraded him.

- - -

Gigi pretended not to notice the stares as she made her way across the dining room to where her two other best friends were sitting with their boyfriends. Instead she pretended to be too wrapped up into something that James was saying to even notice. When they got to the table she gestured excitedly towards James and introduced everyone. "James I'd like to introduce you to Fallon, the redhead in black, her boyfriend the Annapolis plebe Daniel, glamorous Audrey, and her other half the always dashing Rafe. All of you this is James."

"What up?" James offered even though he knew it was an outdated greeting. He was relieved when they actually laughed rather than looking at him as though he were the lamest person on earth. He'd been the victim of this look many times during his relationship with Pamela. One time in particular when he'd done an impersonation of Dwight Schrute she wouldn't speak to him for the rest of the night despite the fact that he was at a party with her friends and didn't know anyone there. He ended up spending the night playing BrickBreaker on his phone. He couldn't help but notice that this was greeting was similar to the one she had treated him to last night at her grandmother's. It was adorable.

Sylvie grinned. "Unlike Gigi I lack an elaborate form of introducing him to everyone, but still this is the hilarious and charming Ben."

Ben sat down in the empty chair between Sylvie and Audrey.

"So you're the anti-Paul and anti-Miles?" Rafe joked before reaching across the table to shake both of their hands.

Audrey rolled her eyes. "It should be noted that is a good thing, a very good thing. Paul and Miles were very pompous and could be found in the dictionary when looking up the words spoiled, arrogant, and according to some homosexual."

"So did you get the pictures?" Sylvie asked excitedly. She'd been to focused on pretending not to care that people were looking at them to see the dismay that was surely written all over Keaton's face.

Fallon beamed. "Oh yeah and believe me they are so going in the newsletter about the event." She handed them their phones and allowed them to scroll through the pictures.

Gigi smirked when she saw the one of Keaton gasping. It served the bitch right. Gigi wasn't sure if Keaton was with Miles more to spite her or if she actually liked him. It wasn't like he was really that much of a catch. Most people didn't even comprehend what she was doing with him. So it was yet to be seen why Keaton had wooed him of all the guys she could have had.

"So why is it exactly that you have beef with Keaton?" Ben asked. Paris had never fully explained that to him and he had been far too confused and intimidated to ask.

Rafe sighed knowing that either himself or Daniel would have to answer the question because the story pissed the girls off far too much to put it into words. "Keaton has always been Kristen to Gigi's LC." This was the go to reference in an attempt to explain the feud.

"She's a bitch and has always resented that she would have been top dog at any school other than Chilton. She moved to Hartford when the girls were in like eighth grade from Los Angeles. Her mother is an actress and a gold digger. Anyway she showed up on the first day of eighth grade thinking she was the shit and basically was proven wrong when nobody even noticed her. I don't know and it doesn't help she's new money. New money as you guys probably know makes you a second class citizen in society. Oh and finally it's like her crew is the Plastics and these four are the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. They're meant to clash." Daniel felt extremely gay for using such girly references. He was very happy his commanding officers weren't here to torment him.

"Anyway we don't start campaigns against her really. She usually just targets us. You should have seen how furious she was when Gigi won Best All Around, Audrey won Most Glamorous, Sylvie won Most Brilliant, and I won Most Talented, and her cronies won yeah nothing." Fallon had been in the Yearbook office when Keaton stormed in demanding a recount of all the ballots. It would have been sad if it weren't so pathetic.

"Clean sweep," Audrey added. "Those are the four categories she wanted for her and her friends. Instead only Chanel won something and it was most flirtatious."

"A friendly way of saying class slut," James remarked. Pamela had been voted most flirtatious at her boarding school and was furious. James had had to resist the urge to point out that her reputation must have transferred with her.

Sylvie laughed, "Exactly."

"Can I just say I'm so happy I'm not a girl?" Ben joked. "It must be so stressful."

"Believe me it is." Gigi agreed and then frowned, "Oh my god."

"What?" Sylvie asked and then saw what Gigi saw. Paul had just walked in wearing a sleek pin-striped gray suit. She scowled. "I'll be right back."

"Who is that?" Ben asked as he watched Sylvie get up and traipse across the room to the doorway. He could tell by her body language that she wasn't happy to see whoever it was that had just walked into the room.

Daniel scoffed in disbelief. "That douche who just walked is her ex-boyfriend Paul. He must be trying to woo her. He does that a lot."

Ben cringed when he saw Sylvie follow Paul out of the dining room. He was damned if he was going to let Paul woo her. He stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be right back."

Everyone at the table seemed stunned for a moment. Eventually Audrey broke the silence.

"Go Ben!" She said as if she were at a sporting event.

"No wonder Sylvie's been floating on a cloud. He's like perfect." Fallon was impressed that he would actually go help Sylvie get rid of Paul. She just wished she could be there. She grinned when she heard Daniel clear his throat. "Perfect for her I mean." She clarified before kissing him softly on the cheek.

"Just wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to be next to be upgraded," Daniel joked with a grin. "We better be on our best behavior Rafe or the next thing you know James will be calling guys the anti-Daniel and the anti-Rafe."

- - -

It didn't take Ben, but a minute to find Sylvie and Paul quietly arguing in an empty hallway. He was happy to see that Sylvie still seemed very angry as opposed to looking like she actually gave a shit about what he saw saying. He cleared his throat to make his presence known. "Is everything okay Syl?"

Sylvie smiled when she saw him standing there. She couldn't believe he was coming to fight for her. "Yeah Ben, thanks."

"So if you'll be on your merry way that'd be much appreciated." Paul instructed and gestured for him to go away.

"Not without my date," Ben stood his ground. "I'll head back to the table when Sylvie is ready."

"Newsflash kid your services aren't needed here. I'm her boyfriend therefore I'm her date. You're just some schlub she found to make me jealous so go back to your boring life as a computer science major at UConn or whatever it is you do. I'm sure there's a roaring game of World of Warcraft that you could be enjoying right now while eating Top Ramen."

Sylvie started to tell Paul to go fuck himself, but didn't get a chance to because Ben it seemed was not going to be intimidated by Paul.

"Actually I'm pre-med at Yale and I'm not just some schlub as you called me. What you didn't know is that Sylvie has been schtupping me behind your back for almost a year. She was only pretending to be upset when she caught you cheating because she wanted to keep up appearances, but in actuality she was grateful. Now if you'll excuse us." Ben gently grabbed Sylvie's hand and pulled her away. Once they were far enough from Paul he looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry for that last bit I just wanted to knock him down a few pegs."

Sylvie waved it off. "It's fine. Thank you for that Ben. I'm sorry he showed up here. For the record we're very much broken up and I don't think any of those things about you."

"Well good because they're not true. I'm a 360 guy and I play mostly Call of Duty and Halo. I know how frat of me. Oh and if I'm hungry I typically prefer to eat Easy Mac as opposed to Top Ramen. Ramen just has far too much sodium."

"If I didn't know better I'd swear this was some sort of elaborate con. Are you sure you're not just a professional actor that Paris hired?"

"Do you really think if she was going to hire an actor she'd pick one as pale and nerderific as me?"

Sylvie thought about it for a moment. "No I guess not for Gigi, but definitely for me she would. Is nerderific going to be this year's bootylicious?" She teased.

"God I can only hope. Do you think people make money when they create new words?"

- - -

After lunch, which none of the couples really touched, everyone was urged to mingle. It was while James and Gigi were talking to Malcolm and Peyton that they encountered Keaton and Miles. It was inevitable, but that didn't make it anymore desirable.

"Keaton, Miles." Gigi said their names with obvious disinterest.

"Gigi your dress is remarkable, but what else would you expect from a girl who's close personal friends with Stephanie Lancaster." Keaton had never dared go to Stephanie's boutique knowing that she'd be kicked out as soon as the blonde recognized her. This was yet another reason Keaton hated Gigi.

Gigi gagged on the inside. She hated how fake Keaton was. "Thank you. Your dress is…something else."

James protectively wrapped his arm around Gigi's waist and pulled her closer to him. He pretended not to notice how Miles clenched his right fist in response.

"So who's your date G?" Keaton couldn't help but notice that he was even cuter up close. Later when she talked to Paisley, Chanel, and Nicolette she of course would dismiss him as okay looking if only to save face.

Gigi grinned and leaned into him. "Oh where are my manners. Keaton, Miles. I'd like you to meet James Bradshaw. James these are two people I go to school with." She knew by the way Miles took a deep breath that she'd hit him below the proverbial belt.

James smiled. "It's nice to meet you both."

"How do you two know each other?" Miles asked gruffly. He didn't like the way James had his arm wrapped around her waist.

"We go way back actually. His brother Josh is married to Honor Huntzberger, Logan's older sister." Gigi explained.

James nodded in agreement. "When I heard that some asshole had ditched Gigi this close to her debutante ball I was more than happy to step in and be her escort. I really should thank the guy who broke up with her. To tell you the truth I've always had a crush on her."

Miles forced a tight smile. "Lovely, well if you'll excuse us we better go say hello to a couple other classmates."

"Well if you must. It was nice seeing you two." Gigi watched them retreat. Once they were gone she quietly high-fived James. "Oh you were perfect. You should consider a career in acting. I bought the whole thing."

"Thank you, but I think I deserve more than just a high five."

"Oh yeah what'd you have in mind?"

Without warning James tilted his head and placed a soft and sweet kiss on her lips. When he pulled back he smiled at the dazed look on her face. "Now we're even."

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE. AT LEAST IT WAS A LONG ONE RIGHT? SORRY THERE WAS NO RORY AND LOGAN IN THIS CHAPTER. THEY'LL MAKE AN APPEARANCE IN THE NEXT ONE. THANKS FOR READING. IF YOU REVIEW YOU'LL MAKE MY DAY. – KRiSTiNE. **


	12. The Japanese Art of Karaoke

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS CHAPTER SERVES ONLY TWO PURPOSES: TO MAKE ME LAUGH AND TO INCLUDE RORY, LOGAN, PARIS, JAMIE, FINN, ANNE MARIE, LANE, DAVE, COLIN, AND STEPHANIE BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T SEEN THEM IN A WHLE. HAHA. I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT. I REALLY THOUGHT THE IDEA WOULD BE AMUSING AND SOMETHING THAT WOULD ACTUALLY HAPPEN IN THEIR ADULT LIVES. WHO KNOWS? THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING SO MUCH LAST CHAPTER. IT WAS REALLY SWEET AND NICE TO KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE ENJOYING THIS STORY. YOU ROCK. **

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE FABULOUS ANNE MARIE. BUT IF I DID OWN GG SHE WOULD HAVE SO SAID YES. **

**CHAPTER TWELVE: THE JAPANESE ART OF KARAOKE **

- - -

"Now before I allow all of you to leave I would like to do a rundown of the social events that will lead up to your debutante ball." Cornelia Landry-Sanford announced as she motioned for all of the couples to return to their seats. At close to eighty she was a wisp of a thing, but she knew how to command a room. It was her ability to guide in a gentle, but strong way that had caught Rory's eye hen she was planning the ball close to a decade ago. She was quick to tell people that she had in fact been handpicked by Rory Huntzberger, the woman who made the Daughters of the American Revolution the foremost debutante ball in New England. To her it was like a badge of honor. She waited patiently until all of them were quietly seated before continuing. "Now next Saturday as many of you know is the garden party which will be held at Elizabeth Park. All of you should keep in mind that the attire is semi-formal meaning I want to see gentleman wearing dress shirts and ties as well as debutantes wearing dresses. The Courant will be sending photographers to cover the event. The Friday before the garden party Mademoiselle Jacqueline Grey and Senorita Eva Gutierrez will be giving another one of their ever popular waltz seminars at the country club at 5:00. All couples are strongly urged to attend though it is not required. Now the following Friday another class will be given and attendance is required for that one. Please keep in mind darlings that everyone will be able to tell if you haven't practiced. And finally in two weeks all of you beautiful girls will be making your debuts. Please have your introductions completed and faxed to the office by Wednesday. Any questions?" She looked around the room expectantly though she knew that no one would raise their hand. They never did. Instead they left dozens of messages on her phone two days before the big event. After waiting for nearly a minute she smiled warmly. "I hope you all had a lovely time. I'll see everyone next Saturday at Elizabeth Park."

Gigi didn't move. She knew that it was going to be horrible trying to leave. People were making a bee line to get back to their normal and less formal lives. "So are you guys going to waltz seminar next Friday?"

"If Daniel can get into town in time we will, but I'm not counting on it. If worse comes to worse then we'll just do classes that Saturday before the garden party." Fallon made sure that she sounded not stressed about attending the dance classes though she loved Mademoiselle Grey. She knew that it was hard for Daniel to secure permission to come up to Hartford so frequently for the next three weeks. The entire first semester he'd been at Annapolis she'd seen him a total of two times. Once when she went to visit him and the other time was during Thanksgiving. She wasn't selfish enough to demand he figure out a way to be back in Hartford in time.

Daniel squeezed Fallon's hand reassuringly. "If I can finish my Intro to Global Strategic Studies exam in less than an hour then we should be able to make it. I finished the last one in around forty five minutes so as long as I study everything should work out alright." He knew how much she loved Mademoiselle Grey. He also knew her well enough to know when she was trying to pretend that she wasn't worried or she didn't care all in an effort to not seem selfish or demanding. It was one of his favorite things about her.

"We'll be there." Rafe promised.

Audrey smiled and nodded in agreement. "You know they always watch the ones who didn't show up closely at the required one." Audrey's old sister Katherine, her mother had a thing for the Hepburn women, had decided to skip the seminar that was not required in favor of a trip to do something mindless. Next week when she missed a step and bumped into another couple you Senorita Gutierrez told her if she didn't get it together she would not be debuting with this group. Essentially she would not make the others look foolish just because she couldn't get her act together.

Sylvie shrugged. "It depends on if Ben is free or not I guess. Are you free?" She asked him hopefully.

"I can be there." Ben assured her.

"Are you going?" Audrey asked as she began to get her things in order. There was no longer a line to escape.

James knew that Gigi's answer was going to be very similar to Sylvie's so he answered for her. "Yeah we'll be there as long as Gigi wants to attend. You do want to attend right?"

Gigi smiled gratefully before nodding. "Yeah I do. I think it'll be fun."

"Awesome. Now I don't want to seem rude, but we better be going. We've got dinner with Katherine and her latest boyfriend whose name is Tad and has an MBA from Cornell." Audrey explained. She was not looking forward to meeting Tad she had a feeling he was going to be a tool. Most of her sister's boyfriends were. She never seemed to realize this until she was of course at the point of ignoring their phone calls and looking for someone new to share her bed with. "It was lovely to meet both of you. I look forward to seeing you guys at the seminar next week."

Rafe seconded that it was nice to meet both of them and kissed Sylvie, Fallon, and Gigi on the cheek before grabbing Audrey's hand and leaving.

Fallon sighed. "We should be going too. We have some catching up to do before he leaves."

"When are you heading back to Annapolis?" James asked curiously. He'd been impressed when he found out where Daniel went to school. He thought going to one of the military academies was far cooler and looked much better on a resume than going to Yale or Harvard. It meant that someone had broken you down and built you back up into a better version of yourself.

"I'll actually leave tonight. I've got some studying to do. Plus we have inspections Monday morning and I need time to get everything in order." Daniel said as he handed Fallon her phone. "It's not that long of a drive."

Gigi frowned knowing that Fallon would be miserable all day tomorrow, but would be back to her usual perky self Monday morning. "Are you sure it's worth it?"

Daniel smirked at her question. It was one she always asked him when he spouted off his list of things he had to do for school. "Of course it is. It's all part of my plan. Ask me again tomorrow night when I'm all by myself and I may sound less confident."

"Will do," Gigi replied before hugging him.

"Promise me you won't grow anymore over the next week." Sylvie joked when it was her turn to hug him. He was almost a foot taller than her and loved to torture her with short jokes.

"I'll do my best." Daniel promised.

"Thank you for living up to the hype." Fallon teased before hugging James and Ben. "It would have sucked if either of you had been like worse than Miles and Paul."

Gigi laughed as se watched them leave. Daniel was giving Fallon a piggy back ride because her feet were killing her. She'd decided to wear an uncomfortable pair of heels all in the name of looking good. "Are we ready to hit the road?" She smiled when everyone nodded their heads in agreement. She grinned like a fool when James reached for her hand.

"So can I ask you a question?" James asked hesitantly later on once they were finally alone. They were sitting on the rarely used porch swing in her backyard close enough so that their knees touched, but far enough apart just in case either her mother or father decided to check up on them.

"Sure." Gigi agreed happily though somewhere in the back of her mind she couldn't help but wonder why he seemed so hesitant.

James didn't say anything for a moment. Instead he took the time to choose his words carefully. Once he was satisfied with them he finally asked the question that had been plaguing him since the luncheon. "Why exactly did you go out with Miles?"

Gigi couldn't help but let out a small laugh at his question. It was one she had fielded a number of times before. "Honestly because he was the only boy to approach me. In ninth grade no boys would come anywhere near me in fear of what Logan, Finn, Colin, Jamie, and Dave would do to them. It was tiring and depressing. When Miles asked me out he had no clue about the guys. Plus believe it or not he really had his moments sometimes. I mean at least in the beginning, but then well maybe it was just because he was on his best behavior. He wanted to get in my pants. That's why he dumped me, because I don't put out." She said this last part very quietly. You could tell it upset her to know just how shallow he was.

James frowned and wrapped his arm around her shoulders not in a romantic way as much as a comforting one. "And that's why he's with Keaton now?" He asked as delicately as possible.

"Yeah that's why. It's the one thing she has on me. I mean I just didn't feel ready. Looking back it should have occurred to me that he just stopped pressuring me. I swear for the last six months he brought it up almost everyday and then out of nowhere it was like he just dropped the subject all together. The worst part is that I was planning on well you know losing it with him after the ball. I thought it would be special and romantic. God I'm so happy I didn't." She groaned and buried her face in his jacket. "You must think I'm so pathetic."

"On the contrary my girlfriend well she's my ex now anyway her name is Pamela. She cheated on me with her family's gardener. She was quick to point out that technically it wasn't cheating because we were on a 'break' but I don't know. I only found out about her improprieties when I returned from a sailing trip to find a fresh hickey on her neck. She was frustrated that I wouldn't uh consummate our relationship also." James admitted sheepishly. He didn't like to talk about the fact that he hadn't had sex yet because he felt like it made him seem kind of gay.

Gigi looked up at him. "You mean you haven't either?"

James shook his head no. "I read this statistic that said it's actually become kind of normal for people in our generation to wait. I don't know how true that is, but well if it's good enough for Jordin I figure it's good enough for me."

"How long were you and Pamela together?"

"Eight months give or take a few break ups. I should tell you that I actually broke up with her last night."

"What? I didn't know you had a girlfriend. I wouldn't have -"

"Picked me? I know. And so did Honor which is why it wasn't never mentioned."

"I don't want to sound conceited or anything, but did your break up have to do with me?"

"Yeah it did. I just realized that there were actually girls out there who liked the same things as me and thought that my Dwight Schrute impersonation was funny. I don't expect you to like profess anything to me or anything, but I just want you to know that I'm generally digging you Gigi Hayden." James told her softly hoping that would be enough for her to forgive him for not mentioning Pamela sooner.

"I'm generally digging you too James which is why I was wondering if you wanted to come with me tonight to Finn and Anne Marie's bar." Gigi inwardly crossed her fingers that he would say yes.

"They wouldn't mind me coming?"

"No. They never mind things like that. They even let Miles come and they hated Miles."

"Oh gee thanks." James joked.

"That was supposed to come off as a compliment. They'll like you a lot James. You have the Logan and Rory Huntzberger seal of approval. That's all you need." Gigi assured him.

"Okay if you're sure then yes I'd really like to go with you."

- - -

"Are you sure they'll let me in?" James asked as he parked his car. Finn and Anne Marie's bar was nothing like what he had imagined. He thought it was maybe going to be more like Cheer's or more like a pub. Instead it was flashy. It was called the "Saucy Aussie" and seemed to be very popular as evidenced by the line of twentysomethings standing in front waiting to get in. It was the kind of place that Pamela would have killed to get into. In other words he had no idea how he as a high school senior would be allowed in there.

Gigi giggled. "Of course they'll let you in. Don't be crazy. Come on." She urged as she grabbed his hand and pulled him across the street.

He wasn't convinced that she was right, but went with her nonetheless.

"Hey T," Gigi greeted the large bouncer as she pounded fists with him. "T this is James my date for the debutante ball, James this is T the best bouncer in New England if not the East Coast."

James wasn't sure what to do, but was relieved when the large tattooed Samoan was friendly enough to pound fists with him just like he did with Gigi. "Hi T it's nice to meet you too."

"Ditto, Anne Marie wasn't lying when she said you were a definite step up from Miles." T was actually impressed.

"Has it started yet?" Gigi asked just before opening the door.

T shook his head no. "They're waiting for you to arrive. Have fun."

James heard the people in line complain about the fact that they had cut and were walking right in. He could hear T ask if any of them were the owners' goddaughter. He didn't hear a reply because Gigi was dragging him inside. He was shocked to see that it was actually far mellower on the inside than the outside would have suggested.

"Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, the moment you've all been waiting for has arrived. It's time to kick off our monthly karaoke night. As usual Finn and I will kick it off with one of our classic performances," Anne Marie announced the moment she saw Gigi and James walk in. She waited for the music to kick on and then she morphed into Baby from Dirty Dancing as her and Finn belted out "I've had the Time of My Life".

James sat down in a large corner booth towards the back. It was much larger than your average booth which suggested that it was probably custom-made for this group of people to sit in. He leaned over and whispered into Gigi's ear. "Why didn't you mention that it was karaoke night?"

"I wasn't sure you'd still come." She explained honestly. Miles had always hated karaoke night. He'd blanched at the idea of them standing on a small stage and belting out a duet. Occasionally she could get him up there, but usually it took a lot of begging.

"I would have." James assured her. "I just happen to be a rockstar when it comes to the Japanese art of karaoke."

Gigi laughed quietly. How in the world had she gotten this lucky? She laughed harder when Finn and Anne Marie finished their song with a drunken bow. "Just in case you hadn't already realized as evidenced by the loud applause and the excitement in the air this is a very big deal. People travel from New York City for karaoke night at the Saucy Aussie. No lie."

Anne Marie skipped over to the booth. "You must be James. Thank god you're cute or I'd be offended that she chose you over my boy Rhys."

James looked at Gigi not quite sure what to say to that. He guesses that this is a) normal behavior for Anne Marie and b) a joke. Upon this realization he laughs a little and allows Anne Marie to envelope him in a hug. "You two were awesome." He's not just sucking up either. He means it. Her and Finn were everything you're supposed to be when you're singing karaoke. Entertaining even if you're not exactly good that is.

"Wait till our two little professional musicians take the stage or Paris has enough Jose to give her the courage to perform one of her infamous power ballads. We're amateurs compared to them." Anne Marie joked as she took a seat and motioned for another vodka tonic.

"Did Ben and Sylvie hit it off?" Paris asked from her corner of the booth. She had talked to Ben briefly at the hospital yesterday and could tell that he was not only excited to meet Sylvie, but was nervous. She'd tried her best to assure him that Sylvie would love him. That of course hadn't kept her from being nervous about the situation.

Gigi grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah Paul showed up and Ben basically told him to hit the road. He didn't let Paul suck Sylvie back in. It was very fairytale like."

"Good he's a nice kid." Paris remarked quietly. She rolled her eyes when everyone looked as though she had just said that she loved Ben. She rarely spoke this highly of anyone younger than twenty that wasn't Gigi. "What? He is a nice kid. Don't look at me that way. James also seems to be a nice kid though we haven't been formally introduced."

Gigi chuckled and rolled her eyes. This business of always having to introduce him to a large group was growing tiring. It was much easier when it was only a couple of people. She started to introduce him, but was surprised when he spoke up for himself.

"Let's see I already know Rory and Logan. The couple to their left is Lane and Dave. I look forward to your performance. I didn't think you two did that anymore. The couple to Rory and Logan's right must be Colin and Stephanie. The work you did with Gig's dress is astounding. I hope that saying that doesn't make me sound too gay. Anyway the couple with the Australian accents must be none other than Finn and Anne Marie. This is the coolest place I've ever been. That just leaves Paris and Jamie. All of you probably already know, but just in case you don't I'm James Bradshaw, Honor Huntzberger is my sister-in-law which is how I think I got to put to my name in the hat. And I'm a rockstar when it comes to karaoke so watch your backs." James joked confidently.

"You're not much like Josh." Colin pointed out.

James shrugged. "Josh is much older than me. I should point out that you're not much like Bethany."

"Thank god for that. How do you know my sister?"

"Your niece Felicia is a couple of years behind me. Bethany is a little intense and always around."

Colin nodded thoughtfully. "I forgot you went to Deerfield. How is Felicia? Doing well I assume, she must be happy to no longer be living with Denny and Bethany."

James laughed and nodded in agreement. "I've only met her on a couple of occasions, but she seems to be pretty happy. Last year when she won something for school she pointedly refused to acknowledge Bethany's presence on several occasions."

"Does it make me a bad person that I had no idea that Felicia was that old? I could have sworn she was like barely in middle school." Jamie admitted. He was nearly halfway to drunk and enjoying the buzz. He was a bit of an absentee uncle. Still him and Colin always bought the best gifts for their many nieces and nephews. Their siblings made babies like Spielberg made movies.

"Nah I only knew because of Bethany blabbering on about it." Colin hated when he got caught on the phone with his sister. The conversations had a tendency to be extra long to make up for the fact that they were rare and far between.

"Felicia's your niece too?" James asked confused.

Jamie nodded sagely. "My oldest brother married his oldest sister."

"Society is so incestuous." Paris remarked as she did a shot. "I swear by the time Gigi and James have kids it's going to be impossible for them to date. Everybody is sort of related somehow."

"That is so true." Stephanie agreed. "I once almost dated a guy who ended up being my cousin. Keyword in that sentence is almost."

"Who's next to sing?" Finn looked around the table to see who would reluctantly go next.

Lane and Dave exchanged a quick glance before heading to the stage. They simply grinned when they heard the crowd whoop and holler. It was moments like this that made them wonder how it was that people didn't know about their mini-performances such as these. Thank God for small miracles. Lane looked at Dave and winked before singing.

- - -

Three hours later the ten adults were smashed. At least it appeared that way. Rory was actually very much sober as she had been drinking virgin daiquiris all night, but her friends were too far gone to notice that she didn't actually seem drunk. Gigi was so wrapped up in James and flirting with him that she didn't notice either. All in all it had been a good night. James hadn't been lying and had actually brought the house down with his karaoke performance of the Britney Spears classic "I'm a Slave 4 U". Paris had made people cry with her performance of the Eric Clapton masterpiece "Tears in Heaven". Still it had been Logan and Colin's rendition of "Strokin'" that really had the people eating out of the palm of their hands.

"Who knew Paris could make people cry without intimidating them?" Gigi joked just as James pulled onto her street.

James laughed. "She really was oddly good. I never would have imagined."

"Nobody could. Rory loves to tell the tale about the first time Paris got smashed and sang karaoke. She'd stumbled onto the stage and performed "Livin' on a Prayer". She knew it off the top of her head. By the end of the song the entire crowd was singing along with her."

"Wow."

"So is Britney your go to choice for karaoke or was that a random decision?" Gigi joked.

James shrugged. "I knew it'd be entertaining to say the least. You should my version of "Genie in a Bottle". Let's just say Christina should watch her back."

"You're a dork."

"I've been told that before."

"But at least you're an adorkable dork."

"Did you just make that up?"

"No I heard it on television and have been waiting to use it. I oddly love adding strange words to my vocabulary. After the Tom Cruise Matt Lauer incident I constantly used the word glib."

"And I'm the dork?"

"Okay so maybe we're both dorky."

"I can live with that."

"Good." Gigi sat there in the silence. They were sitting in her driveway. "So are you going back to school tomorrow?"

"I have golf in the morning with the guys, but then afterwards I have to head back. I've got homework to catch up on."

"Cool." Gigi tried to hide her disappointment. She'd had so much fun the last couple of days.

"Maybe we could grab lunch before I head back just the two of us." James suggested.

Gigi did her best to keep from beaming. She didn't want to seem too desperate. "I'd love that. I'll text you tomorrow morning then." She opened her door. Before getting out she kissed him on the lips. The simple soft kiss turned into a passionate one. They broke apart finally when the need for air became imminent. "Drive safe James." She closed the door and walked the short distance to her door. She waved once more just as he left the drive. She rifled through her purse for her house keys. She screamed when out of nowhere a person emerged from the bushes. It took her a second to realize who it was. "Miles?"

Miles looked down at his feet awkwardly, "Hey G."

"What are you doing skulking in my bushes at," she paused to look at her watch, "Nearly two in the morning?"

"I wanted to talk to you. You brought him to karaoke night with you?"

"Yeah I did. What does it matter to you?" Gigi was surprised he'd even remembered what tonight was. He'd never been very good at things like that when they were together.

Miles shrugged. "I don't know. Who is that guy Gigi?"

"I told you before at the luncheon his name is James Bradshaw. He's Honor's brother-in-law."

"That's not what I mean. I mean why are you making out with him in a car and taking him to karaoke night with you. We've been broken up for less than a week. Have you been seeing him behind my back or something?"

Gigi clenched her fists. "Don't you dare accuse me of cheating! You were the one screwing Keaton behind my back. You were the one who dumped me three weeks before my debutante ball to escort the class whore. You embarrassed me. No actually you humiliated me. You have no right to question my relationship with James."

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe I cheated because I knew that I deserved someone like Keaton? It gets really old having people look at you asking the same question with their eyes. Why is she with you? I don't get those with Keaton."

Gigi shook her head in disbelief. How dare he turn this on her. "Go ahead Miles blame it all on me. I don't care. Listen I'm tired. I'm going to bed. You were the one who broke up with me. Understand that I'm going to move on."

"What if I said I wanted to get back together? We spent three years together Gigi. Whatever it is you have with James is just a fling. What we had was real." Miles pleaded with her. His voice quivered a bit.

Gigi's eyes softened. She stood there for a moment not entirely sure what to say. Finally she sighed. "The keyword in that last sentence is had. What we had. Not what we have. You crushed me Miles. We'll never be the same. And whether you believe it or not there is something special about what I have with James. I get him and he gets me."

Miles just stared at her. He was sure that if he said that he wanted to get back together she would agree.

"Good night Miles. If you leave now I won't mention any of this to Keaton." She turned her back on him to unlock her front door. She sighed as she heard him make his leave. It wasn't until she was upstairs in her bed that she let herself cry. She wasn't sure why she was crying, but she was. After nearly twenty minutes she was exhausted. She ended up falling asleep with smudged mascara in the clothes she'd worn to the Saucy Aussie.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'M SO SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO UPDATE. I'M BACK AT SCHOOL NOW WHICH COMPLICATES THE TIME I CAN SPEND WORKING ON THIS STORY. I'LL DO MY BEST. I WON'T MAKE ANY PROMISES BECAUSE GOD FORBID I BREAK THEM. STILL LIKE I SAID I'LL DO MY BEST. I'M NOT SURE HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS CHAPTER. AT FIRST I LOVED IT. BY THE END I JUST NEEDED TO BE DONE WITH IT. I'LL TRY TO MAKE THE NEXT ONE BETTER. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK. I LIVE FOR REVIEWS. THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS. - KRiSTiNE. **


	13. Her Own Personal Brand of Heroin

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: FIRST OFF THANKS SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING. I'M HAPPY THAT IT SEEMED AS THOUGH THE MAJORITY OF YA'LL LIKED LAST CHAPTER MORE THAN I DID. THANK THE LORD. ANYWAY I'M NOT SURE HOW MANY CHAPTERS THIS STORY REALLY HAS LEFT IN IT. I DON'T WANT YA'LL TO THINK THAT I'M JUST TRYING TO WRAP IT UP QUICKLY SO THAT I CAN MOVE ON. IT JUST OCCURRED TO ME TODAY THAT I REALLY DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH LEFT TO TELL. STILL WHO KNOWS WHAT'LL HAPPEN. SO THIS CHAPTER IS JUST A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE RORY AND LOGAN FANS WHO PROBABLY HAVE BEEN DYING FOR ANOTHER APPEARANCE. THANKS FOR TUNING IN AGAIN. **

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE FABULOUS ANNE MARIE. BUT IF I DID OWN GG SHE WOULD HAVE SO SAID YES. **

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN: MY OWN PERSONAL BRAND OF HEROIN**

- - -

Gigi woke up feeling as though she'd been run over by a bus. Her head was pounding and her throat felt raw. She groaned as she slowly rolled out of bed and padded quietly into her bathroom. As soon as she looked in the mirror she groaned even louder. Her mascara was smudged, her clothes were wrinkled, and her hair was mussed. She was a train wreck to put it mildly. She turned the shower on figuring that would help. As soon as the hot water hit her skin she let out a sigh of relief.

She wasn't sure why she had cried last night. It wasn't like she was sad to not be with Miles anymore. He had wanted her back and she had been the one to turn him down. And yet for some reason her reaction had been to cry. She was so confused. She sat there under the water for ten minutes just letting it pour over her before turning it off and getting out. She needed somebody else's perspective if she was going to wrap her mind around all of this in time to enjoy lunch at the club with James.

- - -

Logan watched quietly as Rory took a sip of the mug he'd just handed to her. She was half asleep, but surely would wake up the moment she tasted the beverage he'd just given her. He watched as she crinkled her nose in disgust and out of necessity swallowed even though it was obvious she hated it.

"What is this?" Rory asked as she looked at the mug disdainfully. She'd been half asleep when she accepted what she had assumed to be her blessed coffee. Oh how wrong she had been.

"Coffee," Logan answered simply. He wasn't lying.

Rory looked at the mug before looking back up at him. Her right eyebrow was arched. She was not amused. "This is not coffee. To quote my mother coffee is the elixir of life. I'll ask again what in the world is in this mug because I know it isn't my beloved Jamaican roast."

Logan gulped. Rory rarely got angry, but when she did it made him nervous. The barista at the store swore that this decaf would fool any coffee drinker. Foolishly he'd underestimated Rory's love for it. "It's decaf." He mumbled like he'd just been caught by his nanny doing something bad.

"What was that?"

"I said it was decaf Ace."

Rory looked at him aghast.

"Don't look at me that way. We both read the baby books. We both know that all of them said that regular coffee isn't good for the baby."

Rory groaned. She'd hoped he'd lied when he said he read all of the baby books if only so he didn't know that she needed to make the switch. She wasn't sure she could give up coffee. It was her only personal brand of heroin. "Can't I just have like one cup a day of regular? I'm sure that wouldn't hurt the baby. I mean my Mom drank coffee when she was pregnant with me and I do recall the other night you calling out just how exquisite I am."

Logan smirked. He should have known she would try to negotiate. She wasn't the kind to just sit down and take it. That girl disappeared when she started working at the DAR oh so long ago. "Ace I'd say yes to that if you could limit yourself to one a day, but we both know that won't work."

Rory's bottom lip trembled.

"Puppy dog sad face is not going to help you win this argument. You'll thank me."

Rory shook her head indignantly. "Impossible."

"I'm going to make the switch too if that helps." Logan knew it wouldn't, but at least he knew this meant she wouldn't try switching cups in the morning.

Rory just looked at him with that same puppy dog face.

"I love you Ace and at least you don't have the gestation period of an elephant." Logan joked. He kissed her softly on the forehead before going into his closet to retrieve his shoes and pull on a shirt.

"Yeah yeah you say that now. Think about it today is only day one and I'm already difficult. Imagine five weeks from now when it's close to a deadline and I'm behind. And then another five weeks after that I'll be flat, bloated, moody, and caffeine deprived. You'll change your tune then. You'll be looking for an escape."

Logan laughed as he sat down beside her, "You're adorable when you're being dramatic."

"Are you going golfing?" She asked noticing his put together appearance for the first time. Typically Sunday mornings they stayed in bed until noon and simply lounged around the house. They'd watch read, watch television, and right. Still at least one Sunday a month he'd wake up early and tell her he loved her before dashing off to the Country Club golf course. It seemed this was one of those mornings.

"Yeah with I'm going with your Dad, Richard, and James, but I should be back by noon at the latest." He assured her. "You need anything while I'm out?"

She thought about it for a second. "No I'm good. Send my love and remember not to spill the beans."

"I won't." Logan didn't quite understand why it was that they weren't telling their friends about their good news yet. Rory just kept saying that people's feelings would be hurt if someone found out before them. The plan was that after Gigi's debut she would tell everyone at the same time. That way no one's feelings would be hurt. Until then it was just a matter of keeping their mouths shut and keeping up appearances. He was just about to get in his car when he heard the familiar thump of Gigi's system. Sure enough within seconds she pulled her Tahoe into the drive and hopped out carrying two cups of coffee. He decided to ignore the coffee knowing there was no way he could get convince her not to bring it in there without making her suspicious. "Morning G."

"Morning Logan you headed out to the links?"

"Yeah I got a new putter that I've been dying to try out so."

"Any excuse to get eighteen in." Gigi teased.

"Basically," Logan admitted knowing she'd understand.

Gigi smiled. "Well have fun. Is she awake?"

"Yeah she's upstairs reading the Globe so just go ahead up. Want me to pass on any messages?"

"Nah I'm having lunch with him once you guys finish up. Good luck and remember to take time to visualize each shot." She coached him before heading inside.

- - -

Rory knew as soon as she took in Gigi's appearance that something was wrong with her little sister. Her hair which was usually styled in some manner was thrown back into a messy bun. She was wearing a pair of booty shorts and a Yale shirt. Plus it was before 9:30 in the morning on a Sunday when she didn't have anything on her plate that would require her to wake up before 11:00. "What's the matter G?"

Gigi who had been surprised at how good she had been at fooling Logan into thinking she was fine was no longer able to keep the front up. Her lip started quivering almost instantly. "I don't know Ror. I just don't know."

"Let's start from the beginning." Rory instructed as she motioned for Gigi to sit down beside her on Logan's side of the bed. It was then that she noticed the coffee her little sister was carrying. It was one of her favorite kinds. She felt like an addict in need of a fix.

Gigi took a second to collect herself before talking. "Last night when James dropped me off at the house we made out in his car for a minute. It was innocent enough. Anyhow I was looking for my keys in my purse when suddenly somebody emerged from the bush. Before I even had a chance to freak out I realized that it was Miles."

"Miles emerged from the bushes last night?"

"Yeah I was pretty shocked. Anyway he was like who is that guy and I explained that he was James and I guess he caught our makeout session because then he accused me of fooling around with James while we were still together."

"Are you kidding me?"

"I wish I was. Anyway he basically asked me to take him back."

"And you said?"

"No. I said no. And then I went upstairs to my room and for someone I cried myself to sleep. I'm just so confused." Gigi could feel her bottom lip start to quiver again.

"Do you want to get back together with Miles?" Rory asked carefully.

"No. Not in the slightest. Which is why I don't understand why I keep crying and it makes me feel pathetic and dramatic like one of those girls on the MTV shows I don't understand."

"I know this may sound crazy but you're probably crying because you've just really shut the door on a relationship that you'd been in for over three years. I mean you may not love him anymore and are probably completely over him, but that doesn't make it any less sad. I had a very similar moment after I closed the door on my relationship with Jess and actually Dean too."

Gigi knew just enough about Jess and Dean to not like them. As the guys who came before Logan she cared very little about them. They couldn't hold a candle to her brother in law. "Are you just saying this to make me feel less crazy?"

"Do you remember when Mom and I were in that big fight?"

"Vaguely."

"Well around that time Jess decides to show up at Grandma and Grandpa's pool house and lets just say he tried to make one last play for me. I can remember that night after assuring Logan that I was fine getting into bed and having a good silent cry. I'm not sure why. I was madly in love with Logan at the time. I could have cared less about Jess and still I was crying." Rory had been so scared she'd wake Logan and he'd mistake her tears as a sign that she regretted showing Jess the door. "Miles was a big part of your life and it's probably scary to know that he won't be anymore. And then there's James who I'm guessing you're falling for."

"Am I that transparent?"

Rory shook her head no. "I just know you that well."

"He's the best Ror. I mean he's just perfect. He gets me. And the best part is he likes me back. I'm scared though that I'm going to fall too hard. I mean what if he doesn't want a relationship. What if he just wants something casual? I don't know what casual is. I don't know. We're going to lunch today."

Rory couldn't help but smile and stifle a laugh. She'd had a very similar conversation with herself once upon a time. Never had she imagined that not only would she be Logan's first girlfriend she'd also be his only one. "All you have to do is talk to him. If he's as perfect as you think he is then you shouldn't have to worry about putting yourself out there."

"Thank god I've got you. I'd be a wreck without you."

"You'd be fine. I promise. You'd figure it out."

"Sherry's coming to my debut."

"Dad mentioned that you agreed to let her come."

Gigi snorted. "What choice did I have?"

"Good point. He also mentioned that you weren't going to change your introduction."

"I don't feel like I should have to."

"I honestly don't blame you."

"You haven't touched your coffee." Gigi pointed out as she took a sip of hers.

Rory looked at the cup on the bedside table. "I'm not really in the mood for coffee."

If Gigi hadn't already swallowed her coffee she'd have spit it out right then and there. "I think I need to get my ears checked. I could have sworn I just heard you say that you were not in the mood for coffee."

"You heard me right."

"What's going on Rory? You're always in the mood for coffee. If you could figure out how to fill an IV with one you would."

Rory knew she was busted. There was no way she was going to convince her sister. "I have a secret. It's a big one. You can't tell anyone."

"Yeah sure are you okay?"

"I'm fine I'm just I'm pregnant. Logan and I are going to have a baby."

"AH!" Gigi squealed and hugged her sister tightly. "Why are you keeping this a secret?"

"I want everyone to find out at the same time so I wasn't planning on telling anyone until after your debut so just let's keep this between the three of us. Please."

"My lips are sealed. You must be excited. I didn't even know you were trying. I mean or was it unplanned?"

"It was planned. We've been trying for about five months. We didn't want to tell anyone just in case." Rory explained. She knew her friends and family would react the same way. There was little chance that anybody saw this coming.

Gigi grinned. "I cannot wait to be an aunt. Now I don't mean to dish and dash, but I've got to get ready for lunch with James. I love you Ror and you really saved me today."

"I'm glad I could help. Remember to put yourself out there." Rory advised before kissing her little sister on the cheek.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: OKAY SO THAT WAS THE UDPATE. I HOPE IT WAS DECENT. IT WAS A LITTLE SHORTER THAN THE OTHERS HAVE BEEN, BUT I TRIED…HARD. I HOPE IT WAS AT LEAST SLIGHTLY WORTH THE WAIT. HONESTLY AT THIS POINT I'M STRUGGLING A LITTLE BIT. I'M NOT SURE HOW MANY MORE CHAPTERS THERE ARE LEFT IN THIS STORY AND I'M NOT GOING TO BOTHER TO PREDICT IT BECAUSE LORD KNOWS I'LL BE OFF. IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND REVIEWING IT'D BE APPRECIATED. I LOVE THEM. I READ ALL OF THEM. ANYWAY THANKS FOR READING. LOVE YA'LL. - KRiSTiNE. **


	14. A Gossip Girl Wannabe

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: SO I WAS KIND OF SURPRISED WHEN I READ ALL OF THE REVIEWS AND GOT A NUMBER OF REQUESTS FOR MORE JAMES AND GIGI. I DIDN'T REALIZE JUST HOW MUCH YA'LL ENJOYED MY FABRICATED COUPLE. THEY'RE PRETTY CUTE AREN'T THEY? ANYWAY SO THERE IS SOME MORE OF THEM AS WELL AS A LITTLE SYLVIE AND BEN. I HOPE YOU GENERALLY DIG THIS CHAPTER. **

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE FABULOUS ANNE MARIE. BUT IF I DID OWN GILMORE GIRLS SHE WOULD HAVE SO SAID YES. **

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN: A GOSSIP GIRL WANNABE**

- - -

"So how'd things go with Gigi?" Conner Sampson, James' best friend and roommate asked the moment James walked into their dorm. It had taken everything he had to resist the urge to text his best friend on many occasions. Like on Friday when psycho Pamela wouldn't stop blowing up his phone to find out if he'd talked to James yet or when he read on some Gossip Girl wannabe's blog that James had seriously pissed off and come face to face with Gigi's ex who in the picture that accompanied the update looked like a total tool btw.

"Dude," James started. He couldn't help but wear a goofy grin. "You have no idea how awesome she is. I swear she's so perfect. She even understands the art of delivering a that's what she said."

"No way."

"Way."

"Dude."

"I know."

"Whoa."

"And she's pretty hot, but not in a slutty Megan Fox kind of way, but more like Rachel McAdams in The Notebook."

"Okay now I know you're full of shit." Conner had a hard time believing that a girl that hot and funny would get dumped by somebody who looked like as much of a tool as her ex did. Miles totally had extreme gayface.

"No lie dude." James could understand Conner's disbelief. Hell he probably wouldn't have believed it if the roles were reversed. This all just sounded a little too good to be true.

"You swear on Dwight Schrute?"

"I swear on Dwight Schrute and Jim Halpert."

"Dude."

"I know." James replied with a sagely nod. "We sound like gay stoners btw."

Conner laughed. "We've been spending too much time around Jack. He's starting to rub off on us. I actually made a reference to Desperate Housewives the other day so the second I got to the room I watched four hours of ESPN Classic to make up for it." Jack was the gay guy across the hall who was gay enough to worship Cher, but straight enough to watch football and be a member of a fantasy baseball league. He was a walking contradiction.

"You're such a freak and he hasn't rubbed off on me. I haven't called anyone an Edie wannabe."

"One you knowing who Edie is proves my point and two," Conner paused to take a sip of his Mountain Dew. "Even worse you sound like your in love with a girl you literally just met on Friday. How do you know she isn't conning you? Pamela seemed great when you first started dating."

James frowned. It had never occurred to him that he might only be seeing the side of Gigi she wanted him to see. Conner was right about Pamela being great in the beginning. She was sweet and funny. James was completely convinced that the reason people thought she was spoiled bitch is cause they didn't really know her. In the end he was of course totally wrong about that. What if Gigi was the exact same way? Still she seemed so genuine. She always seemed to be the same no matter who she was around. "I don't know, but I know that I had a great time this weekend and that if you had met her you'd be saying the exact same things."

"And where does this leave you and Pamela? I mean when you left here Friday she was still your girlfriend."

"Yeah she was, but by the time I went to bed Friday we were over because honestly I never got over the shit that happened last summer. It was always going to bug me no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that it was okay because we were on a break and that if I hadn't asked for a break it wouldn't have happened."

Conner smirked. "So just to make sure that I'm updated Honor beat Pamela in the battle for number one bitch in your life and you're practically in love with a girl you just met?"

"More like generally digging." James corrected. "But other than that yeah I guess so."

"Dude."

"I know."

- - -

"How was your date with Ben last night?" Gigi asked as she sipped on a latte and nibbled on a blueberry muffin.

Sylvie's face visibly brightened at the mere mention of last night. "Oh my god G it was amazing. We went to see that obscure Van Damme movie JCVD, which side note was totally fucking awesome. But the best part was when we were walking to the car. We were holding hands and just enjoying the silence when suddenly he stopped walking and looked at me and said and I quote that he knew it sounded crazy seeing as we met yesterday but that he knew that he was falling for me…hard. I almost died right then and there. Have I told you lately how much I love you for introducing me to him because I love you like middle class white women love Oprah."

"Dually noted that JCVD rocked and you love me. The record should reflect though that if it weren't for Paris discovering Ben I'd never have been able to introduce the two of you."

"Even more reason for her to be my hero. I'll add it to the list of reasons why Paris Gellar-Davis is the shit." Sylvie was only half-kidding. She may not have had a list of reasons to look up to Paris, but she definitely did look up to her. She really admired Paris for her ability to get to where she was in her career so quickly. She didn't change herself to get where she was. She knew she was neurotic and intense, but she figured if you loved her enough you'd deal with that. Sylvie tried hard to make this her motto as well. "So you've yet to supply details about your lunch with James."

Gigi grinned and bit her lip. This seemed to be the instant reaction to all topics dealing with James. "It was probably one of the best lunches I've ever had at the club. My only complaint was that it didn't last longer. I swear I feel like some sort of cliché movie character he makes me so happy."

"I totally know what you mean. There's this part of me that says things like this only happen as a result of Hollywood scripts. Did he go back to school?"

"Yeah right after lunch. It sucks that he goes to school an hour and a half away."

"At least we have texting. Imagine how bad long distance relationships sucked when you couldn't just text your significant other during a boring lecture or lunch? It must have sucked like a Milli Vanilli concert." Sylvie like almost every normal teenager was totally addicted to texting. It was the first thing she checked when she woke up and it was the last thing she handled before going to sleep. She was pretty sure she was going to have very little use of her thumbs as an adult.

Gigi scrunched her nose at the thought of life without texting. "Let the record reflect that you are such a nerd for using a Milli Vanilli reference."

"What? I could have been vulgar and said something like that it must have sucked like Keaton and her cronies."

"Ugh you're disturbing." Gigi joked.

Sylvie shrugged. "Duh so are you two going to try a relationship or?"

"Yeah I really have no idea. I mean right now we're just having fun being with someone who doesn't piss off our families. I don't think either one of us is ready to overcomplicate things by putting a label on it. Plus we both just got out of relationships like two seconds ago." Gigi knew this was going to be a question she fielded a lot over the course of the next couple of weeks. It didn't help that James was basically an unknown to many of her classmates. When you dated outside of the Hartford circle people had a tendency to ask questions.

"Wait he just got out of a relationship too?"

"Yeah he broke up with his girlfriend Friday night."

"Convenient timing seeing as it was probably right after dinner at your grandparents." Sylvie pointed out. "Let's hope she doesn't track you down. I'll make sure to google the web for a site dedicated to tearing you down before I go to bed tonight. You're already the star of Tottie's blog."

"Ugh. I hate Tottie's site. I swear she shouldn't have ever been allowed to read Gossip Girl. Isn't the point supposed to be for everyone not to know who you are making it all the more scandalous that you post shit about people?"

Sylvie snorted. "Come on G we both know Tottie doesn't care about the details. She gets what she thinks is the main points and then runs with it."

Gigi started to agree with her when she felt her phone start to buzz. She looked at it and grinned when she realized she had a text from James. _Have you ever heard of Bo Burnham? He's like Dane Cook and Stephen Lynch had a lovechild. _She smiled and quickly texted him back that she'd check into Bo when she got a chance to YouTube tonight.

"James?"

"How'd you guess?"

"If I were to pinpoint the one thing that gave it away it would have to be the cheesy ass grin that was instantly plastered on your face as soon as you looked at your phone. I assume he got back safe."

"I'm guessing so."

"Well seeing as I know you want to spend the rest of the night texting him we'll bring our latte date to a close. I have a Chemistry quiz to study for anyway. Thank you so much G for introducing me to Ben. He really is the most amazing guy I've ever met. I don't think I could have even imagined him."

Gigi smiled and hugged her friend tightly. "I'm so glad my instincts were right. And love totally looks good on you Syl. I swear I've never seen you this happy before."

"My mother said almost the same thing to me this morning except it was more like Sylvie I'm hoping that it's Ben that's making you glow and not pregnancy, but either way you look good." Sylvie's mother was a forward opinionated busty Jewish woman who was like an upper class version of Fran Fine's mother on The Nanny.

"Oy."

"My thoughts exactly." Sylvie agreed. "I'll see you in the morning G."

Gigi waved goodbye before flipping her phone open and reading yet another text from James. This one was short and simple, but it spoke volumes to her. _Fact: I miss you. _She held her phone to her heart for a moment before deciding just to call him so that she could continue their conversation while driving home.

"I'm guessing you miss me too." James said as a form of greeting when her name popped up on his caller ID.

"Yeah maybe just a little bit. What are you doing right now?"

"I'm actually sitting in my dorm contemplating whether or not I want to study for my government quiz in the morning. I'm leanings towards no in favor of talking to you. You?" James was so happy that Conner had left the room to go for a walk with Sela, his on-again off-again girlfriend of two years. He would have surely given James shit for this gagworthy conversation.

"I just got done having coffee with Sylvie. I'm on my way back to my house to study Physics and French. Being a prep school kid is an incredibly boring life. No wonder they choose to profile West Coast kids over East Coasters."

James smirked at her joke. He couldn't help but agree. West Coast rich kids surfed and partied and East Coast rich kids studied and networked unless you hung out with the ultra cool ones like Logan, Stephanie, Colin, and Finn. They would have been worth profiling on television. Lauren Conrad would have nothing on Stephanie. "At least you have the freedom of doing cool things like going to get coffee. I basically am trapped here. Boarding school wouldn't suck if it was more like Hogwarts."

"I doubt anything would suck if it was more like Hogwarts except maybe a bathroom experience. I can only imagine what it would be like if you had a hard time peeing in public places with that Moaning Myrtle floating above you talking your ear off. It'd make peeing impossible."

"Did you ever wonder what house you would have been sorted into if you were to have put on the hat?" This was the kind of question that James never in a million year would have asked Pamela cause she would have tortured him about it. Also Pamela didn't read anything more than required and often she didn't even read what was required. She considered reading when she browsed an issue of US Weekly and even then she mostly just looked at the pictures.

"Yes, yes I did. I think I would have probably ended up a Ravenclaw or a Gryffindor. I still would have been totally afraid to end up a Slytherin. It'd be like being from Yale legacy and being sent to Harvard. I'm sure you've come up with a house or you wouldn't have asked."

"I'm pretty sure I'd be a Gryffindor though I think if I went to school with Harry Potter I'd have found him to be such an attention whore even knowing now what I do because of the books. I mean even discovering cancer can't compete with vanquishing Voldemort."

"Are we really high school seniors discussing the intricacies of Harry Potter?"

"Yes, yes we are."

"Just making sure. I will admit that I totally would have generally dug Harry though I often think that Neville was like the best of the lot for some reason. He just made me smile."

"Neville?" James asked in disbelief.

"Neville." Gigi confirmed.

"You really are a nerd."

"Guilty as charged." Gigi admitted.

James started to tease her some more when he heard Sela's familiar giggle. There was no way he would be able to continue this conversation with Conner and Sela in the room. "Okay so I suck and I've got to go because my roommate is bringing his girlfriend back to our room and they'll make an attempt at a normal conversation impossible for us. I'll text you though. Is that alright?"

"That's fine. I actually just got to my house so that's probably better for me."

"Cool. Bye Gigi."

"Bye James."

- - -

Gigi had been just about to go to sleep when she heard her phone start to vibrate again. She picked it up and flipped it open knowing already that it had to be a text from him. She snorted when she read _Good to know that if I get fat you'll still generally dig me, night Gigi. _Even though she was trying desperately to take all of this lightly she was really starting to struggle. James Bradshaw in the matter of a weekend had totally stolen her heart.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THAT WAS THE UDPATE YA'LL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR. I REALLY HOPE THAT IT AT LEAST MADE YOU SMILE OR EVEN LAUGH A COUPLE OF TIMES. I TRIED HARD TO FOLLOW THE SAME FORMULA AS THE EARLIER ONES. I THINK THERE ARE ABOUT TWO OR THREE CHAPTERS LEFT. THE NEXT ONE WILL SKIP AHEAD ABOUT A WEEK AND A HALF. ANYWAY I'LL UPDATE AS SOON AS I CAN THOUGH I MAKE NO PROMISES. SCHOOL SUCKS AND I'M BUSY ALL THE TIME. ANYWAY PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT. FEEDBACK TOTALLY MAKES MY DAY. THANKS SO MUCH. - KRISTINE. **


	15. Golfing in Exeter

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: A LOT OF YOU SAID THAT YOU WERE SAD THAT THIS IS COMING TO AN END AND YOU KNOW I AM TOO. I'VE REALLY ENJOYED THIS STORY. I THINK THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MY FAVORITES I'VE EVER WRITTEN. IT WAS GREAT TO CREATE CHARACTERS AND HAVE OTHER PEOPLE FALL IN LOVE WITH THEM. I'VE GOT A FEW MORE TRICKS UP MY SLEEVE AND THEN YEAH THIS BABY IS DUNZO. THANKS FOR TUNING BACK IN. I HOPE THIS IS UP TO YA'LL'S STANDARDS. YOU GUYS ROCK HARDCORE! I'M NOT SURE I STRESS THAT ENOUGH. **

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE FABULOUS ANNE MARIE. BUT IF I DID OWN GILMORE GIRLS SHE WOULD HAVE SO SAID YES. **

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN: GOLFING IN EXETER**

- - -

Pamela looked like hell. Her hair was greasy. Her roots were out of control. She had a pimple the size of Jupiter on her chin. Her ass was getting larger by the minute due to her rekindled love/hate relationship with Oreos. Her fingernails were gnawed to the point that if her Vietnamese manicurist Sue saw them she'd probably suggest getting fake ones. Suffice to say she did not look like her usual self. If there was one thing Pamela was known for it was being hot. In fact it wouldn't take much effort for her to become the stereotypical MILF, country club, trophy wife that everyone pegged her for. So the fact that she looked like the before picture in a makeover article was very disturbing to her classmates. Imagine their dismay when she walked into class Monday morning with her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail without a lick of makeup on. The truth was that Pamela barely had energy to get out of bed to go to class. She spent all of her time thinking about Gigi and James. She knew it sounded creepy and obsessive, but it was the good to honest truth. She just couldn't believe for one second that Gigi had had nothing to do with James breaking up with her. And it didn't help that every friggin' prep school blog in New England was talking about them.

Jude was tired of having to look at Pamela's pathetic ass. At first it had been sad, but now it was just irritating. She cringed at the sheer thought of the pimple that her best friend hadn't even bothered to try and cover up. Thus she was going to barge into Pamela's room and force her to snap out of it. Wallowing was beneath her. She didn't bother to knock, but rather threw the door open and groaned when she found Pamela stuffing an Oreo into her mouth while reading what appeared to be The Scoop, Deerfield's number one source for gossip. "Creepy much?"

Pamela didn't bother to tear her eyes away from the screen. "If I wanted to hear your opinions I'd have asked for them. Shouldn't you be on your knees somewhere instead of giving me hell?"

"Real cute Pammie, but seriously how long have you been sitting there and why in the world are you wearing sweat pants? Have you eaten so many Oreos that your ass won't fit into anything you own?" Jude wasn't known for being sweet or sugar-coating her opinions.

"Go away Jude. I really don't want to hear your bullshit right now. Take it somewhere else."

"You need to hear my so called bullshit Pammie because this isn't you. You look like you should be on What Now to Wear. James Bradshaw is not worth all this." Okay so maybe Jude didn't exactly believe that. In all honesty she thought James was too good for Pamela. This was one of the few things that Jude actually managed to keep to herself.

Pamela finally turned around in her chair. "They're together Jude. I know it. He dumped me for her. Everyone is talking about them. The world wide fucking web loves Gigi Hayden. Do you know how frustrating that is? Who the fuck is she? Why is it that she's just now coming onto my radar?"

"Truthfully it's because your new money Pam. She's from one of the premiere Hartford families. At least he didn't dump you for downgrade."

"So you think she's better than me?"

Jude fought the urge to say well duh and apparently the World Wide Web agrees with me instead she said, "I didn't say that. All I'm saying is there is nothing more embarrassing than when they dump you for a downgrade."

"I hate her."

"I know you do."

"I want him back."

"That's only reasonable, but-"

"I'm going to get him back. I'll just go to Hartford and I'll make some big gesture and he'll take me back."

Jude shook her head. She did not see this coming. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"It's my only option."

Jude could see from a mile away that this wasn't going to work out the way Pamela thought it might. She too had read the articles and seen the pictures and knew that James seemed to be much happier now that he was no longer with Pamela. And the only plausible explanation was that it was Gigi Hayden who had made him this happy. Knowing James he knew that it was Gigi who made him happy and there was no way in hell he was going to give all that up to be back with Pamela. Instead of telling Pamela all of this because she knew it was pointless she asked, "How are you going to go to Hartford?"

"I don't have to. He'll be playing in Exeter's golf tournament tomorrow. I'll just go there. We'll talk. And order will be restored."

Jude sighed.

"He's mine Jude. Mine. Not hers."

"Well good luck." Jude couldn't help but think that maybe just maybe Pamela had gone over the edge. She sounded a lot like one of those deranged women from a Lifetime movie.

"I won't need luck, but thanks." Pamela said suddenly feeling like her old self. She glanced in the mirror and cringed when she saw how terrible she looked. "God I look like a mutant."

"Is there anything I could say to change your mind?" Jude asked hopefully.

Pamela shook her head no as said, "Nope."

"Didn't think so. Well I've got homework so I better get to it."

"Thanks for the attempt at a pep talk J."

"Just don't do anything stupid Pamela…The last thing you need is to get kicked out of another school or to become fodder for all the gossip blogs."

- - -

Logan smiled when he walked into the driving range and saw that Gigi had already procured two buckets of balls. It'd been a while since the two of them had spent time like this together. Between work and school both were just too busy for the little things they used to do. He had been ecstatic when she suggested they do this. "Hey G, sorry I'm late. Traffic was a bitch."

"It's okay I actually just got here like five minutes ago. We had a meeting about the tournament tomorrow."

"Has his motivational speeches gotten any better?" Logan asked in reference to her golf coach Mr. Vigori. His motivational speeches often left his team confused. Still the man was currently coaching them to their best season ever. The Chilton golf team was very small compared to some of the other schools. There were two boys and Gigi, but all three were extremely talented. If they wanted to they could pursue golf scholarships. Still seeing as all of them were legacies at various Ivy League institutions the prospect of a golf scholarship meant very little to them.

Gigi laughed. "Actually today's speech made sense. It was refreshing."

"I'm glad. How many people are going to be there tomorrow?"

"I think around eleven girls and twenty one boys. It's going to be a very long day. We're starting at nine." Gigi wasn't excited about waking up early enough to make it to Exeter in time to play. Thankfully they were taking the Durant private jet.

"Eleven girls? Did one of the schools pick up a new player?" For the longest time Gigi had faced the same ten girls from the same schools.

"Andover has this new Japanese player who's supposed to be pretty friggin' good like Japanese national team good." Gigi had learned all of this information only two hours ago. If she had learned about it sooner she would have googled Umi Misato.

Logan took a second to hit one of his balls before responding to this new information. "Well you've been looking for some new competition. You're going to have to step your game up."

"Oh believe me I know. Wes told me if I sent her back to Andover feeling like I'd just dropped a bomb on her he'd agree to go with the style of letterman jacket I preferred." Gigi had been fighting for those jackets for weeks. If Wes gave in then so would Harmon.

"Sounds to me like you've got some extra incentive," Logan mused as he gently nudged her right foot a little so that her alignment would be better.

Gigi nodded before aiming purposefully for the cart that picked up all the loose balls. She knew it was cruel, but it was just so much fun.

"Nice shot." Logan had seen it coming the second he saw it coming their way.

"Thanks. So enough about me how're you?"

"I'm good. I've been busy with this new paper we're buying in Virginia. It also has been kind of a pain in the ass to get Rory to switch to decaf. I swear it was easier to get Anne Marie to quit booze."

"I believe it. I still can't believe no one knows yet."

"It's been hard. It helps though that everyone is wrapped up in you and James. It seems to me that Emily and Francine have secretly started planning your wedding."

Gigi laughed. She didn't doubt that they were. She knew how those two worked.

"Are things still good with you two?"

"Yeah they are. We're just having a good time right now. I don't know. I just there's something about him. He makes me laugh without having to really do anything. It just has made me wonder what I saw in Miles."

"You know before I met your sister I was notorious for not being a great guy. I sort of was a womanizer. And I was content with that. I mean it was good enough for me. When I met Rory all of that changed for me. She made me realize that a different girl everyday wasn't enough. I guess what I'm saying is it takes someone to open your eyes and make you realize that what you thought was enough really wasn't."

"When Miles broke up with me at first I felt blindsided. I was shocked. But then I made this list trying to come up with all of the signs that I should have seen. And I was still struggling. But your right it's like the second I hung out with James I realized all of the things I didn't before. Anyway your pretty insightful sometimes Logan. You're going to be a really great Dad." Gigi hugged him tightly and gently kissed his cheek.

Logan smiled appreciatively. "You really think so?"

"I don't think I know. You were so great to me. I can remember you taking me to the zoo and showing me how to make Everything but the Kitchen Sink sundaes. If I'm being honest I actually have more memories of trips with you than anybody else." Gigi could remember the way women would hit on Logan because they thought he was a single father. He always would assure them that she was his girlfriend's baby sister, but that their compliments were flattering.

"Do you remember that time we went to see the Lion King on Broadway? It was freezing cold outside and they lost our ticket reservation somehow. I was so upset because you'd been so excited." He'd almost used his last name to get them in there, but knew that would be setting a bad example for her.

"But it worked out great because we ended crashing our limo driver's sister's wedding party. And it was so much fun probably more fun than the Lion King ever could have been. We ended discovering the best cannolis in Hell's Kitchen that night."

"Oh that reminds me how much I've missed them. Once things slow down a bit I think we should go to New York City for the night. We could get cannolis and catch some good jazz." Logan suggested. Today reminded him just how much he enjoyed hanging out with Gigi.

"Definitely but not until after the ball is over. The last thing I need is to eat my weigh in cannolis and not be able to fit my dress." Gigi joked. In all honesty she was only half joking seeing as she was pretty sure she could eat that many cannolis. They were just that addictive.

Logan glanced at his watch. "I'm sorry to have to bail on you, but I've still got to grab Thai takeout for dinner and then Rory and I were watching Annie Hall tonight. Good luck tomorrow G. I'm sure you'll own the field."

"Thanks. Send Rory my love. Drive safe. I'll send you a text to let you know how I do."

"You better. Love you G."

"Love you too Logan." She waited until he was gone to finish hitting the last dozen balls. Once she saw the last one soar right into the pick up cart she knew she was ready for tomorrow.

- - -

"So did you hear about Pamela?" Conner asked James as they sat in their room watching a Red Sox game.

"Nah, what is she pregnant?"

"Worse she's like broken or something. They're saying she makes those au natural girls that don't shave their pits look good," Conner replied.

"No way dude Pamela's house could be on fire and she'd put makeup on before escaping."

"Dude I'm pretty sure the rumors are true."

"Dude I doubt she cares that much about our failed relationship and I can't think of anything else that would get her this worked up. I mean did some fashion icon die or something? Or did some trivial Hollywood couple break up?" Those were the only things she seemed to care about.

"Nope not anyone I can think of. So you ready to kick ass tomorrow?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. Supposedly my Dad is going to show up for a minute."

"Really?" Conner had met Mr. Bradshaw maybe a dozen times and while he found the man to be nice and fascinating he wasn't exactly father of the year.

"Yeah he said that, but I'm not holding my breath. Dude Dice-K blows my mind." James couldn't help but note as Dice-K worked around two lead off walks with a couple of strikeouts and a pop up.

"I know he like brings you right to the edge and just when your about to shit your pants he brings you back. He's like a real life Houdini." Conner agreed. "You talked to Gigi today?"

"Yeah we texted for a little while earlier. She's supposed to call me when she gets home." James had secretly been waiting impatiently for this phone call for the last hour and a half. He wasn't about to admit that to Conner though because he didn't feel like dealing with his best friend's shit. "Are you and Sela back together this week?"

"I guess. I'm back to carrying her books and shit and walking her to her classes." Conner loved Sela…most of the time. She drove him crazy, but in a good way. "I know I'm whipped."

"Yes you are." James replied and then grinned when he heard this phone start to ring. "It's her. I'll be right back."

"Your whipped too James." Conner whispered to himself as he watched his friend leave.

- - -

"Honey I'm home!" Logan called as he walked in the backdoor carrying Thai takeout. He grinned when she walked in wearing a black teddy. "Is that new?"

"Yes it is. Stephanie sent it to the office. You like?"

"I love." Logan smirked.

"Good. I have the movie all set up in our bedroom. All that's left is for you to grab a couple of forks and then get of that uncomfortable suit."

Logan grabbed the bag and a couple of forks and then followed her upstairs. It took him a whole two minutes to change into his boxers. "I'm glad you came up this. It's been forever since we did dinner and a movie in bed."

"Did you have fun with Gigi?"

"Yeah her swing looked great. I think she's going to really do well tomorrow."

"Have I ever told you how much it means to me that you are so good with Gigi? It's one of my favorite things about you. Well that and your smirk."

"See I was always under the impression that my smirk drove you crazy." Logan joked.

"Yeah it does, but in a good way." Rory whispered seductively before kissing him softly. Just as he wanted to deepen and let it go out of control she pulled away, grabbed the remote, and turned the movie on. "That's just a preview."

"Well let me just say that I love previews." Logan handed her a plastic white container and a fork. He grinned when Rory started acting along with the movie. God she was one of a kind. There was no number of girls who could do for him what she did.

- - -

"Today is your chance to put Chilton golf on the map. Just take it slow. Remember to breath. The three of you are talented. You can win this as long as you think you can win this." Coach Vigori instructed his three pupils. Before coming to Chilton he worked at a public school in Boston. Never in a million years had he expected to fly on private jets and instruct three children as talented as these three were.

Wes nodded along with everything that his Coach said. "Now Gigi you've got the best shot at walking away with a trophy today. Remember if you send Umi back to Andover feeling ashamed we'll get the letterman jackets you want."

Gigi laughed and nodded. "If it gets to the end and your in a position to go big or go home go big. Let's not play it safe in the end. We're here to win. We're not trying to score scholarships or get ourselves spots on the tour. Just handle your business gentleman and I'll handle mine."

Coach Vigori had never seen them this worked up before. There was a competitive fire in their eyes that just made him so excited. "Can I get a go big on three?"

They all joined hands and then said go big. They all high-fived each other exuberantly before going their separate ways to get ready to start the day.

- - -

James looked at his golf team. There were six of them. They were by far the largest team here today. They also were the heavy favorites at least on the men's side. Neither of the girls they had were exceptional making it easy for them to blend in. He took a deep breath. "Today we have the opportunity to be remarkable. Deerfield students are known for being outstanding in everything we do. It's part of our tradition. Today we are going to keep that tradition going. We are going to make jaws drop. We are going to shock and awe. We will settle for nothing less than excellence. Understood?"

"Understood," the five other golfers chorused.

"Alright then good luck and may the best golfer win. We better be taking two trophies back to Deerfield with us."

He was watching the girls retreat over to where a couple of PEA girls were stretching when he saw her. It had been her golden blonde hair that caught his eye first. Somehow in their hour long conversation last night they'd talk about everything from the pop quiz she had in French to what they'd had for lunch, but not the fact that they were both competing here today. He'd known that she was a talented golfer, but it hadn't occurred to her that she was so talented that she actually competed for Chilton. It made him wonder how many times they'd been at a golf course competing on the same day. He was sure it was more than he'd like. He quickly made his way across the course and gently tapped her on the shoulder. He grinned when he saw just how shocked she was when she turned around.

"I didn't know you were going to be here!" She exclaimed as she enveloped him in a hug. How had she forgotten that he was the captain of Deerfield's golf team? How in the world had that slipped her mind?

"I didn't know you were going to be here either. Did you guys drive up here?" He knew it must have been almost a three hour trip if they had.

Gigi laughed. "No we took Wes' families' jet. Driving is overrated. Are you the favorite to win today?"

James shrugged. He wasn't sure how to say yes without sounding condescending. "I'm expected to finish pretty high yeah. I've won the last couple of competitions. Still your teammate Wes gave me a run for my money at the one before last. He sank this shot that just oh it almost sealed it for him. I ended up forcing a playoff and won."

"I remember that actually. Wes had been devastated." She left out the part where she had torn James apart. She'd said quite a few horrible things about the guy who'd left her teammate's psyche shattered.

"How are you projected to finish?"

"Let's just say it's just me and Umi."

"Oh that new girl Andover got. Yeah the girls were saying she's wicked."

"Exactly but if I kick her ass the guys are willing to get the style of letterman jacket I want."

"Well then how about a kiss for good luck," he suggested as he placed a gentle kiss upon her cheek. "Have I mentioned just how cute you look in your uniform? I love your visor."

Gigi blushed. She must have looked so dorky to him. "I burn easily."

"Hey I said I loved it."

- - -

Pamela confidently strode across the golf course looking for someone she recognized. She grinned when she saw Ashleigh and Hannah. They would know where she could find James. "Ashleigh! Hannah!" She greeted cheerily once she reached them.

Ashleigh quirked an eyebrow when she saw Pamela standing in front of her. She didn't look as bed as everyone had made it sound like she did. "Pamela what are you doing here? I didn't know you took up golf."

"Oh I didn't. I'm actually looking for James. Would either of you know where to find him?"

Hannah and Ashleigh exchanged looks. They were both under the impression that they had broken up.

Pamela inwardly rolled her eyes at the way they looked at each other. "We did break up, but I wanted to talk to him. I wanted to wish him luck you know. We're still friends. You know how it is Ash. You and Corky are still close."

Ashleigh knew that Pamela wasn't going to go away until she got what she wanted and she needed to finish her breathing exercises so sighed and said, "He's over there talking to that girl in the navy pants and visor." She pointed him out.

Pamela visibly stiffened when she realized who James was talking to. "Thanks. Good luck." She walked over to where James was in the process of whispering something in Gigi's ear. She fluffed her hair a bit before clearing her throat. She plastered a smile on her face when James turned around.

"Pamela?" James croaked. He noticed she looked like her usual self. If she had gone through a rough looking period it had been a short one.

"What's wrong James you look like you've seen a ghost? You must be Gigi." She replied sweetly as she reached out to shake the petite blonde's hand.

Gigi exchanged a nervous look with James before smiling and saying, "It's nice to meet you Pamela."

"If you wouldn't mind I don't have long until my class. Can I borrow him for a minute?"

Gigi wanted to say hell no. She knew that Pamela had an ulterior motive. Instead she nodded and squeezed his hand before joining Wes, Harmon, and a couple of Kensington players. She was relieved to see that when she glanced over her shoulder that James looked unhappy with Pamela's sudden appearance.

"So that's her huh?" Pamela asked. Her voice was no longer sweet. She'd expected to show up here and woo him. She had been convinced that all it would take was a little charm.

James ran his hand over the back of his neck. Conner would die laughing when he found out about this. "We both know the answer to that one. Why are you here Pamela?"

"I miss you."

"I don't miss you."

"You swore you didn't dump me for her."

"What makes you think I did?"

"How about the fact that when Hannah and Ashleigh pointed you two out you were whispering something in her ear and making her giggle like a four year old on Christmas morning or how about the fact that I can't go a day without hearing about you two."

James rolled his eyes. "We're over Pamela."

"I don't want to be."

"Newsflash it's not always about what you want."

Pamela stared at him.

"Is it true that you weren't wearing makeup earlier this week?" James asked softly.

Pamela looked down at the ground before looking back up at him. "How did you find out about that?"

"The same way you found out about me and Gigi. Gossip travels quickly."

Pamela rolled her eyes. "I just didn't have the energy to do anything more than pull my hair back into a ponytail and throw my uniform on. I'm sure people exaggerated how terrible I looked. It wasn't like I gave up bathing. Anyway it's not like you really give a shit."

"That's not fair Pamela. I do care. I was your friend before I was your boyfriend. I still want to be your friend. I care about you. I didn't even think you would take our breakup this hard."

"Well I did." Pamela snapped. "I guess I just didn't realize how great of a guy you were. I took you for granted James. I just really wanted a second chance."

"I can't give you that. I'm moving on."

Pamela closed her eyes. "I know. I guess I should leave. I know you're busy. Good luck not only with the tournament, but also Gigi. I hate her and I probably will until I figure out a way to move on. Still I'll try to keep my hatred on the down low."

"Thanks Pammie. And you'll move on soon enough. You're far too hot to stay stuck on me." He gave her a quick hug before watching her leave.

Gigi was in the middle of talking about Tiger's comeback with the guys when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She turned around and was surprised to find Pamela standing there. "Yes?"

"I just wanted to say that if you hurt him I'll destroy you." Pamela replied sweetly. "He's a great guy. I took him for granted. You better not."

"I won't."

"Good."

"Is that all?"

"I guess I'll be nice and offer you a good luck."

"Thanks."

"It was nice meeting you Gigi."

"Nice to meet you too Pamela," Gigi replied politely.

- - -

"And the moment you've all been waiting for. In first place for the women Georgia Hayden of Chilton Academy," the announcer paused to allow her to make her to way to the stage to retrieve her trophy before announcing the men's winner, "And in first place for the men from Deerfield Academy James Bradshaw. Thank you all for coming out and competing. This was one of the best fields we've ever seen. Travel safe back to your respective institutions."

Gigi stuck out her hand to congratulate James. "You did a great job today James."

"Not anywhere near as good as you. I think I saw Umi start to tear up around the thirteenth hole."

Gigi grinned. "I'm happy I got to see you today."

"Not as happy as I am."

"I better get going. I don't want the guys to see me fraternizing with the enemy." She joked. When she knew that no one was looking she quickly gave him a peck on the lips. "I'll see you tomorrow for dance lessons?"

"Of course."

"Good."

Gigi kissed him again quickly before making her way to where Wes, Harmon, and Coach Vigori were waiting.

James watched her go. He already couldn't wait for tomorrow.

- - -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: WHAT'D YA THINK? I DON'T KNOW HOW GREAT THIS CHAPTER WAS. I'M REALLY NOT SURE. I LIKED IT. AT LEAST I THINK I DID. I THOUGHT THERE WAS A STORYLINE FOR JUST ABOUT EVERYONE. I WANTED TO INCLUDE AS MANY DIFFERENT INTERACTIONS AS POSSIBLE. GIGI MET PAMELA AND THERE WASN'T A CATFIGHT. SURPRISING? NO. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. ANYWAY THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ. AT LEAST I MADE IT A LONG CHAPTER TO MAKE UP FOR THE FACT THAT I DON'T UPDATE AS REGULARLY AS I LIKE. IF YOU WOULD PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK IT'D MAKE MY DAY. - KRISTINE. **


	16. How I Spent Thousands to be

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: FIRST CAN I JUST SAY THAT I HATE THAT THIS STORY IS COMING TO AN END. DON'T WORRY THIS CHAPTER IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER, BUT I'M REALLY NOTE SURE HOW MANY MORE THERE WILL BE. I'M SORT OF DRAGGING MY FEET AND ADDING FILLER CHAPTERS BECAUSE I REALLY LOVE WRITING ABOUT JAMES AND GIGI AND I HATE THAT ONE DAY I WON'T BE ABLE TO. I WISH THEY WERE REAL. ANYWAY THANKS FOR TUNING BACK IN. I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER. I HAD A VERY GOOD TIME WRITING IT. **

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE FABULOUS ANNE MARIE. BUT IF I DID OWN GILMORE GIRLS SHE WOULD HAVE SO SAID YES. **

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN: HOW I SPENT THOUSANDS TO BE SOMEONE'S BITCH**

- - -

Sherry Tinsdale was many things. She was a respected CFO for a successful international cosmetics company. She was in remarkable shape for a woman her age. In fact she could still fit in her old prom dress. She had great friends. Many of whom were regularly seen on the covers of various magazines around the worlds. She was also incredibly and undeniably envious of Lorelai Gilmore or rather Hayden. There was no one in this world she wanted to trade places with more. Lorelai had everything Sherry wanted. She had Gigi's love and admiration. She had Christopher's heart. She had figured out a way to balance having a career and a family. She had it all. And that was the reason Sherry Tinsdale really and truly hated Lorelai. At least that was what Margot, Sherry's timid assistant thought. So it was really no surprise to her when Sherry left a neat and curt note on her desk asking her to call Lorelai to find out more about Gigi's debutante ball. Margot sighed and dialed the familiar number. She smiled when she heard Lorelai's familiar voice, "Good morning Mrs. Hayden."

"Now Margot we've had this conversation a million times and I'm thinking you call me Mrs. Hayden just to call me crazy. We both know I'm not crazy like those bitches on the Real Housewives of New York. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and as usual urge you to call me Lorelai."

Margot grinned. "Sorry it's a hard habit to break. Forgive me?"

"Don't I always Margot? How's life working for my nemesis?"

"Oh splendid as usual," Margot didn't even bother trying to hide the sarcasm knowing that Sherry was busy in her office on a conference call with a distributor from Sweden. She hadn't imagined when she took this job five years ago that this would be how she used her MBA from Columbia. Still at least she was living in the most romantic city on Earth. At least that's what she told herself on the days when Sherry was especially nasty.

Lorelai laughed. "More fodder for the book then?"

Margot was secretly working on a book that was currently working under the title of How I Spent Thousands to be Someone's Bitch. "You know it. So to the business at hand I'm supposed to ask some particulars about Gigi's debut."

"Ah it hurts that you never call just to say hello. You've always got an ulterior motive Margot." Lorelai feigned heartbreak.

"The day of the ball is?"

"Not this Saturday, but next. It's at night at the Hartford country club. It's a black tie affair."

"And her date is Miles Maxwell, right?"

Lorelai scoffed. It would have been funny how little Sherry knew about Gigi's life if it weren't so damn sad. "Miles and Gigi broke up last week. He was cheating on her with Keaton Somersby."

"No fucking way," Margot felt like someone had just told her she was adopted. She knew how much Gigi hated Keaton and while she knew that Miles and Gigi had a less than stellar relationship she never would have imagined that Miles was slimy enough to cheat on her.

"Way. Anyway Rory and Company banded together and all helped find suitable escorts for her. Eventually she decided to go with James Bradshaw, he's Honor's brother in law. He's also amazing. I'll email you a picture later."

"Whoa your daughter sucks she has like the best luck ever. She's like the only girl I know who when bad shit happens to her it turns out for the best." She had to resist the urge from saying her mother ditches her for a job in Paris and she gets a better Mom.

Lorelai couldn't help but agree. "If I were you I wouldn't say your daughter too loud. The last thing you need for is Sherry to hear that. We don't need her firing you. Still if you were to get fired you have a job waiting for you here in Hartford. It may not have the romance and culture of Paris, but well I'm not nearly as much of a shrew."

"I'll definitely back pocket that information. Is there anything else I should tell her?"

"My mother and Francine are throwing a party for her the Friday before to celebrate her debut. It's also black tie. It'll be at my parent's house."

"I'll pass that information on to her. Her plane will be arriving at 4:00 that Thursday. Should I arrange a car service or?"

"Or will I force Gigi to pick her up and make nice?"

"Exactly."

"I'll work on Gigi. If I can't convince her then I'll let you know about the car service. Now where exactly is she staying?"

"I can set her up with a room at the Hilton or?"

"Or I can tell you that it'd be just fine if she stayed at my fine establishment."

"You're good at this game. So?"

"She can stay at the Inn." Five years ago Lorelai had opened up an Inn in Hartford. She ran this one and allowed Sookie and Michel to run the other one. Since it's open the Inn had been featured on over a dozen travel specials and was the go to cozy place for the rich who were in Hartford on business.

"Thank you Lorelai."

"No prob Margot. Do you get to come?"

"I hope so though I'm not holding my breath."

"Well let me know as soon as possible and I'll put a couple of dresses on hold for you at Stephanie's boutique. I'm sure Gigi would rather have you there. You're still wearing an eight?"

"I'm actually down to a six now. I've stopped frequenting the bakery down the street from my apartment. You're the best Lorelai."

"That's another thing you may not want to say too loud Margot unless of course you're desperate to work in the hospitality business and then by all means preach sister." Lorelai and Margot chatted for a couple more minutes before Margot had to rush off the phone because Sherry was beckoning. She didn't know how that girl worked for Sherry. She couldn't even stand their brief yearly interactions let alone having to answer to her every beck and call. She sighed and hung up her phone before walking into her favorite small Bavarian bakery. It was going to be hard to convince Gigi to pick Sherry up from the airport. Hell it was going to be damn near impossible.

- - -

Gigi couldn't help but grin as she watched him lazily make his way towards her. He looked almost the exact same as he did last Friday at Declan's except for the fact that he was wearing a red tie instead of a blue one. She was impressed at how normal he seemed in his uniform. Typically they made people look pretentious and snobby, but he wore it well. She kissed him the moment he reached her. She couldn't believe how much she had missed him despite the fact that she had seen him just yesterday.

"Well hello to you too," James joked the moment they broke apart. "I'm sorry I'm late. I had to go to a girl's lacrosse game with Conner and I completely lost track of time." Luckily for him there hadn't been very many State Troopers on the Interstate which allowed him to speed thus he was twenty minutes late rather than the forty five he should have been.

"It's alright my Student Council meeting ran over. I've only been her for five minutes." Gigi had sped the entire way here just in case he was already here waiting. "Conner's your roommate right?"

"Yes he is. He's also my best friend. His girlfriend Sela plays lacrosse and is the reason we had to go to the game. He's on this kick about supporting her in all of her endeavors because that was one of the many reasons they broke up last time." James explained. He hadn't wanted to go to the game. He wasn't a very big fan of lacrosse. Still Conner had asked him nearly three weeks ago before Honor had ever approached him about Gigi. He hadn't had the heart to blow his friend off so he could get to Hartford all because he really wanted to make out with Gigi. "They break up a lot."

"How much is a lot?" Gigi asked curiously. Normally when they talked it was about trivial things. Rarely did James ever discuss his life at Deerfield other than his studies. She only knew about Conner because he was the reason James had to get off the phone the other day. She was interested to learn more about who James was and what his life was like when he was at school.

James laughed. "Let's see they got together freshmen year of high school and they've probably broken up at least a dozen times. Still it's as if they're addicted to each other. Sela will go on dates with other guys just to make Conner jealous and vice versa. It's dramatic and annoying, but I can't imagine things being any different." The year before when Conner and Sela stayed broken up for nearly four months it had been weird to not hear Conner pine for her or plot ways he would win her back. It was actually Sela who for the first time in the history of the relationship approached him about getting back together. So far it had also been the last.

Gigi could feel people watching them as they made their way into the ballroom with the rest of the couples who had shown up for instruction. Still she pretended not to notice and continued to chat with James while she waited for her friends to show up. "Sounds like a tolerable version of Paul and Sylvie. Still tell me more."

"What do want to know?"

Gigi grinned and shrugged, "Anything and everything. I feel like I know so very little about your actual life and you know so much about me."

By the time Sylvie, Ben, Daniel, Audrey, Rafe, and Fallon showed up Gigi knew that Conner was James' opposite, but that he couldn't imagine a better best friend. He spent every Tuesday night with a study group in the library for AP Physics. He was very close to a cafeteria worker named Hattie who slipped him extra tater tots and mashed potatoes. And that while sometimes it was boring there was nowhere he'd rather go to school than Deerfield except maybe Chilton.

- - -

Miles watched in disgust as James wrapped his arm around Gigi's slender waist before whispering something into her ear. To make matters worse she actually giggled at whatever it was that he said. He groaned when he felt Keaton squeeze his knee under the table. He knew that was his cue to pay attention to her. "Yes Keaton?"

"Did you hear what I said?" Keaton asked with a tight smile. She'd seen where he was staring. She made a note to lay into him later. He'd picked her and it was too late for him to try and convince her to come back to him.

"Sorry babe my mind is somewhere else today. What'd you say?" He knew she was angry and that he was going to get an earful later. He also had a feeling that she'd caught him staring.

"The Courant is going to be running a feature on one particular couple. They're going to make their decision tomorrow at the garden party. Isn't that exciting?"

"It definitely is something." He resisted the urge to ask if she seriously thought they'd have a chance of winning. Between the fact that every paper on the East Coast was ripping his father a new one and she was new money there was little to no chance that they'd win. More than likely Gigi or one of her cronies would win. He sighed knowing that he would have won had he still be with Gigi. He looked at Keaton as she chatted away with her friends about something meaningless and couldn't help but once again wonder what it was that he was thinking when he dumped her.

- - -

"So there has been a question going around the academy that I want your opinions on." Daniel explained. "Is Maggie Gyllenhaal hot or not?"

"Hot definitely have you seen that movie she did was James Spader?" Sylvie hadn't been able to look at her the same way since.

"Definitely not hot. She has the face of a forty year old woman which wouldn't be so bad if she was actually forty." Fallon countered.

"I have to agree with Fallon," Audrey agreed.

"I'm going to agree with Sylvie because I too have seen The Secretary," Ben decided.

"See The Secretary made her a freak in my eyes not hot. She's got a great bod, but yeah I can't get over the face either. It's the weirdest thing." Rafe decided.

"Maybe there is something about how smart she is, but I don't know I'll admit to finding her attractive." James grinned and shrugged.

"And it all falls on Gigi's shoulders." Daniel joked. "Your vote decides whether she is in fact hot or not."

Gigi sighed. "I saw this skanky photo spread she did with Alice Hawkins and if you put enough makeup on her she can in fact be at least a nine."

"And the hots have it ladies and gentleman." Daniel proclaimed.

"Hey no fair aren't you going to vote." Fallon pointed out. "You could at least tie it up."

"Yeah I could, but I won't lie she gave me a boner in The Secretary." Daniel admitted.

"You're a freak." Fallon slapped him playfully on the chest.

"But I'm your freak."

"True. Don't expect me to start doing stuff like that."

"Before I find out way more about your relationship than I would ever want to know James and I are going to take off. We're babysitting tonight." Gigi explained. "Ponder this while we're gone Tori Spelling hot or not."

- - -

Gigi smiled as she tucked Ava into bed. She kissed her softly on the forehead. She could tell the little girl was tuckered out. They took her to dinner and then roller skating before coming back and making what James called Everything But the Kitchen Sink sundaes. Apparently it was something he made his niece all the time. It was while they were watching Aladdin that Ava started to fall asleep. James had been the one to carry her upstairs, but it had been Gigi who put the little girl to bed. "Did you have fun tonight A?"

"Yeah I did. Thank you."

"No problem A. I had fun too." She stood to leave. "Good night Ava."

"Good night Gigi." Ava mumbled. "Gigi?"

"Yeah Ava?"

"James is way better than Miles."

"I agree. Sleep tight Ava. Love you."

"Love you too."

Gigi found him sitting on the patio staring up into the sky. It was a beautiful night. It was cool, but not freezing. She sat down beside him. "I love stars. I used to want to put those glow in the dark ones on my ceilings like all of those kids had on television."

"Why didn't you?"

Gigi smiled. "Logan bought me a projector kind of like what they have at planetariums. It was a good thing he did too because it ended up being a phase. No matter how much money we spent we couldn't make it as beautiful as a sky like tonight."

"Can I ask you a question?"

Gigi looked at him quizzically. "Yeah of course."

"Why'd you pick me?"

"What do you mean?"

"It was a competition and you could have picked four other guys including Ben. Why me?" James had been wondering this ever since meeting her. He wasn't sure how he had gotten so lucky. She was so vivid and beautiful.

"You were the most normal. You just seemed right. I don't know. I guess I just followed my gut."

"I'm glad you did." James admitted softly. He saw her shiver and removed his jacket and handed it to her.

"Are you sure?" Gigi asked as she took it from him. "Won't you be cold?"

Instead of answering James just gave her a look.

"So I guess since I answered your question I get to ask one. Why'd you agree to be my escort? You had a girlfriend and had never met me before. You could have easily said no."

James smiled and sighed. He scratched the back of his neck. "Honestly I have no idea. I guess it was your story. I knew how bad it sucked to have someone you care about cheat on you. I didn't have anything going on. You sounded attractive. I'm not totally sure. It probably helped that Honor was pleading your case."

"I don't think I would have agreed to do it if I was in your shoes."

"Well thank god the roles weren't reversed." James stared up at the sky for another minute before sighing. "Is Miles dangerous?"

"Um not particularly no. Why?"

"He was shooting daggers at me with his eyes all throughout the rehearsal. I have a feeling he isn't too pleased with his choice."

Gigi briefly considered telling him about Miles showing up at her house. She decided against that. "Well I am. He deserves someone as demanding and difficult as Keaton Somersby."

"And you deserve someone as wonderful as me?" James asked with a grin.

"Look who has an ego."

James started to lean in for a kiss when he heard Finn and Anne Marie return from their night on the tour. It was singing that gave it away. "Hey I'm just repeating what everybody including your inner circle has been saying." He winked as he helped her too her feet and into the house.

- - -

"So how was babysitting last night?" Lorelai asked Gigi as they sat at the kitchen table eating waffles and drinking coffee.

"Awesome. He's amazing with kids. You should have seen him with Ava it was adorable. He taught her how to make Everything but the Kitchen Sink sundaes which she of course she loved because you know how indulgent that child is."

"If she were a state she'd be Texas."

"Exactly bigger is better with her. We watched the Little Mermaid and built a fort and after we put her to bed we sat outside on their back porch and looked at the stars and just talked."

"Margot's right you do suck."

Gigi ignored the part about her sucking knowing that she'd only end having to agree with her mother's logic. "How is Margot?"

"Well she still works for Sherry."

"That good huh?"

"Exactly."

"Is she coming with Sherry?"

"Hopefully."

"Good I love Margot. I wish she could come to represent them rather than Sherry having to actually show up."

"So do I. She is so funny. I will personally help her get that book published when she finishes it. I bet it's brilliant."

"Oh like that won't make Sherry hate you even more."

"Do I look like I lose sleep because she doesn't like me?" Lorelai asked.

"Well now that you mention it," Gigi joked.

"Well after a little joke like that I don't feel so bad about asking you to pick Sherry up from the airport."

"Oh come on Mom that so isn't fair. You can't be serious."

"G she's your Mom and whether you like it or not she does seem to be interested in you and your life."

Gigi sighed. "Fine but I'm bringing Sylvie with me. She'll surely drive Sherry crazy."

"That's my girl. Now what are you wearing to the garden party tonight?"

Gigi grinned before gushing, "Oh my gosh Stephanie sent the perfect dress over."

- - -

Keaton watched in dismay as the reporter from the Courant made her way over to Gigi and James' table. She knew instantly that she'd decided to run the feature on Gigi and James. There was a rational part of her that not only knew James and Gigi would win, but was happy for them. They were an attractive couple with great pedigree which is the one thing she'd always lack. Still at the end of the day she was definitely an irrational person and because of that she hated Gigi Hayden now more than ever and was convinced that the only reason Gigi got picked is because her sister was married to Logan Huntzberger. It was probably rigged. She glanced over at Miles and gritted her teeth when she found him staring at Gigi. She dug her nails into his thigh before pretending to whisper sweetly in his ear. "If I catch you staring in envy at that bitch one more time I'll make you regret it. You made your choice Miles. You're mine now. It isn't like she'd take you back anyway. She knows now that you were like a flank steak and James is a filet mignon." She kissed him softly on the cheek and gave him a look before turning to her friends.

- - -

"I was invited by Gigi personally to attend the debut and I was wondering if it would be alright if I accompanied you." Margot asked her boss quietly as she delivered her morning smoothie.

Sherry took a long sip of her drink before saying anything. "I don't know Margot I really need someone to handle things here. Plus what place do you have at a debutante ball."

"I'd pay for myself of course. Gigi really seemed to want me to attend." Even though Gigi hadn't actually personally invited Margot she knew that she would want her to be there. She was actually pretty close with her boss' daughter.

"I just don't know Margot. It is a family event. I'm sure she just invited you to be polite. Anyway could you get the number for Marc Jacobs for me?" Sherry asked this in a dismissive way that was sure to let Margot know that her mind had been made up.

Margot stood there in disbelief. She couldn't believe that Sherry was actually saying no. She took a deep breath before in a steady voice saying. "Actually I'm not going to be able to do that. I'll see you at the debutante ball Sherry. Oh and believe me if there was a person she was inviting to be polite it was you, not me. I actually know your daughter and she actually answers and returns my phone calls. Have a nice day." With that Margot turned on her heel and went to clean out her desk. She was hoping that Lorelai wasn't kidding when she said that she would hire her. She probably should have made sure that she wasn't before doing that.

- - -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THAT WAS THE UDPATE AND I'M NOT SURE HOW GREAT IT WAS. I HATE THAT. I TRIED REALLY HARD. I DIDN'T MEAN TO TAKE SO LONG TO UPDATE. I REALLY DIDN'T. ANYWAY WHEN YOU REVIEW I'D LOVE TO KNOW WHETHER YOU THINK MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL IS HOT OR NOT? I'M ON THE FENCE THOUGH I HAVE ACTUALLY SEEN A PICTURE WHERE SHE WAS GOOD LOOKING. HAHA. I'LL UPDATE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. PLEASE REVIEW. THANKS. - KRISTINE. **


	17. Hitler and Hussein Were Probably Worse

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: ANOTHER CHAPTER, ANOTHER STEP CLOSER TO THE END. UGH. I HATE IT. HAHA. I'M NOT SURE WHAT I'M GOING TO DO, BUT I THINK I'M GOING TO TRY AND FIGURE SOMETHING OUT SO THAT MAYBE JUST MAYBE I DON'T HAVE TO SAY GOODBYE TO JAMES AND GIGI FOR GOOD WHEN THIS STORY ENDS. NO GUARANTEES THOUGH. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED LAST CHAPTER. ALL OF THEM WERE AWESOME. THANKS TO THOSE OF YOU WHO PUT HELPING GIGI ON YOUR ALERT LIST OR FAVORITED IT. YA'LL ROCK. WITHOUT FURTHER ADO HERE GOES CHAPTER SEVENTEEN. **

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE FABULOUS ANNE MARIE. BUT IF I DID OWN GILMORE GIRLS SHE WOULD HAVE SO SAID YES. **

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: HITLER AND HUSSEIN WERE PROBABLY WORSE BOSSES**

- - -

Margot thought she was going to faint when she stepped off the plane and saw that there was a small welcoming party waiting for her at baggage claim. She'd been planning on just taking a cab to the Independence Inn where Lorelai had assured her a place to stay until she figured out what exactly she wanted to do. Instead though she found Lorelai, Rory, Gigi, Christopher, and Logan waiting for her holding a sign that said 'Welcome Back from Hell'. She thought she was going to cry. She smiled when she reached them and hugged them each individually. "Thank you guys so much for coming, but you definitely didn't have to. I could have easily just taken a cab."

"Yeah, but then we wouldn't have been able to grill about your time with the one and only Sherry Tinsdale." Lorelai explained as she linked arms with Margot.

"How you lasted as long as you did is beyond me." Compared to Lorelai and Gigi Rory was definitely the Paula of the trio and even she couldn't stand Sherry. That woman brought out a side in her that made Emily look sweet.

Margot smiled and shrugged. She wasn't exactly sure how to explain why she stayed as long as she had.

"You do what you have to do," Logan supplied for her. He wasn't always sure how he lasted living an ocean away from Rory for an entire year, but he'd done it because he had to. "It isn't always fun or easy, but you do what you have to do."

"Exactly," Margot agreed. "I will say there were probably worse bosses in this world than Sherry. I'm sure it would have been a far worse fate to work for say Hussein or Hitler."

Lorelai snorted. "That should definitely be in the book."

"Oh yeah it should start with something like there are worse bosses in the world than my previous employer, most of them were fascists. Seriously my boss was such a bitch that she made Martha Stewart pre-her stint in her prison look like a sweetheart." Gigi pantomimed.

"And you say you aren't very good at English." Rory teased.

Gigi rolled her eyes and laughed, "Because in the hallowed halls of Chilton if you sound as though you possibly could have written the Nanny Diaries or This Lullaby you are really celebrated. Or if even better you sound as witty as a MTV VJ." She turned to Margot. "You should have seen the horror on my English teachers' faces when they realized year after year that I didn't have Rory's same thirst for literature."

"What she always leaves out right here is that her history teachers always rejoice when they realize she isn't my academic mini-me. Gigi could potentially be the next great historian."

"Hell she even makes it interesting to me and the only history I enjoy is the kind you get on E!." Lorelai always pretended to be a simple woman, but truth be told she had had just as good of an education as her daughters and still knew quite a bit. If she felt like it she could discuss Proust and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, but that wasn't her style. She preferred to talk about Brangelina and Dancing with the Stars.

Christopher chuckled. "True Hollywood Stories isn't exactly a history program."

Margot had a hard time fathoming how Christopher had ever fallen for a woman as hard as Sherry. She was basically Lorelai's opposite. She supposed that he was a different man when he fell for her. The only way to really know would be to ask him, but she didn't have the nerve to be that forward. "Thank you guys again for picking me up. It really means a great deal to me."

Lorelai shrugged. "It's no big deal Margot. It's our pleasure. Now comes the part where you pick what we eat for dinner. We'll go wherever you want."

"Honestly I'd kill for a really greasy patty melt and curly fries. You really can't get a good patty melt in France among other things." Margot had lost twenty five pounds during her first year there. It was all due to the fact that she lived off of salad and bread. She wasn't much for French food. It also helped that she rarely had an appetite for much because of Sherry's constant nagging.

Lorelai grinned. "We know just the place. Prepare to have your mind blown and your arteries clogged."

- - -

"Have you given a thought to what line of work you want to be in Mar because we basically can get you a job anywhere?" Rory offered before taking a big bite of her BLT. Once she finished chewing she added, "Seriously there really isn't somewhere we couldn't get you a job except maybe Waffle House and even then I feel like you could secure a job there on your own."

Margot laughed. "So you could get me a job in porn?"

Logan nodded enthusiastically. "If porn was your dream we could make it a reality. I have an old college friend named Robert that has moved to California and has built his own empire. I've got enough dirt on him to secure you your own feature."

Margot knew that Rory and Logan were connected, but not quite like that. "I'll keep that in mind. Honestly I'm up for anything. I've really fallen in love with writing so as long as I have a job where I can do that on the side I'm happy. And if my boss could possibly be just a tad nicer than Sherry I'm solid."

Rory smiled. "How'd you like to come and work at Stripe? We're not your typical magazine and you could write just about anything. We've been looking for someone new to write a funny column."

Margot was truly touched. "Are you serious? I don't have any actual experience as a writer except for this pseudo-memoir I've been writing and my degree is in business. You can't be serious."

"I wouldn't offer if I wasn't. What do you say?"

"Seriously I know you're just doing this to be nice, but you don't have to have pity for me. I'll land on my feet Rory. I'm perfectly fine just working at the inn with your Mom." Margot couldn't let Rory put her neck out there for her. What if she sucked? She didn't want it to reflect badly on Rory.

Gigi knew why Margot was worried and could see that Rory didn't so she stepped in. "How about you have a sort of Ugly Betty relationship? Margot could work as your assistant as well as write a column that way if her column is dreadful she can make up for it and if it rocks well you can upgrade her soon enough. You were just saying the other day that Tillie deserved a promotion. This is the perfect solution."

Rory grinned. "Gigi have you told you lately that you're brilliant because my dear baby sister you most certainly are. Not only did you get the looks, but you also got the brains. How is that fair?"

Gigi rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"So Margot final chance what do you say? You can me beautiful Margot or something far catchier than that." Rory looked at the other woman expectantly.

"I say yes." Margot nodded and then got up to hug Rory. She thought she was going to cry. Never in a million years did she think she would have ever been this lucky. The first time she met Gigi's family she understood why she had such a strained relationship with Sherry. Gigi was raised in a house where people like Sherry were made of not loved. "I should have quit sooner."

All at once Logan, Christopher, Gigi, Lorelai, and Rory chorused, "Yep."

- - -

Sherry paced around her office chewing on a granola bar and having to resist the urge to break something. She couldn't believe Margot's nerve. How dare she think she was important enough to attend something like Gigi's debutante ball? Why in the world would Gigi want some simpleton who worked for her mother at her ball? Not only that but how dare she speak to her that way after everything she had done for that idiotic tart? If that girl had any sense at all she wouldn't dare put her time here on her resumes because Sherry would tear that girl down if she did. She sighed and sat down behind her desk. How dare she decide right now was the appropriate time for a stunt like this? Sherry didn't have time to make travel plans. She frowned and made a note to call a local temp agency. Margot would pay for this. She thought about picking up her phone and let her only daughter know just how wrong Margot had done her. She sighed and decided against it though because the chances of Gigi actually picking up were slim.

Lorelai and Christopher had turned Gigi against her. No matter how hard she tried or what she bought that girl Gigi wouldn't give her time of the day. It didn't help that Rory wasn't a fan either because lord knows Gigi hero worshipped her older half sister. She knew when she left Christopher she should have brought Gigi with her to Paris. She would have given her daughter an appropriate upbringing. Lorelai had gotten lucky with Rory and that was the reason the girl had turned out right. It had very little to do with Lorelai's guidance. That woman wasn't structured enough to be in charge of anything let alone an actual living breathing person. She sighed and reached into the bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out a small silver flask. She knew she was going to need a nip if she thought she was going to get by.

- - -

Gigi sat on the bed and waited patiently as Margot unpacked her bags. As her first order of business Margot decided she would help Gigi with her French essay. If she did well on this then she would be guaranteed an A and there was nothing Gigi wanted more than an A. She checked her phone for the millionth time only to see that he still hadn't texted. She knew he was busy cramming for an AP Physics exam, but she really wished he could take a moment out of his studying to brighten her day as he usually did.

"Expecting a text from James?" Margot asked as she filled a drawer with t-shirts.

Gigi felt dumb for being so obvious. She nodded sheepishly. "He has an AP Physics exam to study for, but he said he'd text as soon as his study session was over. I just haven't talked to him since lunch time and we usually spend half of the day texting so I guess I'm in withdrawal or something."

"Well Gigi isn't that just adorable. You never were that way about Miles. Whenever I asked about him you were so blasé. It was always things are fine and he's okay." Margot was happy to see Gigi so happy. The girl deserved it. Everything said she'd be the type to be a total bitch, but she wasn't. Not in the least bit. If she were a character on television she'd most certainly have a mean streak in her or a dirty habit like a cocaine habit. "Tell me a bit about him."

"He's pretty special Mar. He is a really great golfer and a closet nerd. He can make me laugh really easily. I don't know. He just is everything that Miles wasn't."

Margot grinned. "He's Jim to your Pam?"

"Exactly," Gigi agreed. "You are going to be a great columnist Margot."

"I hope so because I really don't want to let Rory down. She has so much faith in me and I'm not sure why. Your mother seemed to think I was a moron." Margot admitted softly. The hardest part about working for Sherry was the mental abuse. She had no problem letting Margot know just how worthless she thought she was. Weekly she would remind Margot that if computers could answer phones and pick up coffee she'd be out on her ass.

Gigi frowned and after a moment finally said, "She's a bitch and she doesn't know what she's talking about. She thinks Lorelai is worthless and unfit to be a mother. She thinks I constantly make wrong choices and hell she approved of Miles. You are brilliant Margot and I know it." Gigi looked her dead in the eye so she would know just how serious she was. This was one of the many reasons that Gigi knew she'd never love her mother the way she was supposed to. She was too quick to cut others down all the while putting herself on a pedestal. She was so judgmental and snobby despite the fact that her last name didn't mean shit as far as pedigree went.

"You're seriously one of the good ones G. Sherry has no idea what she's missing out on."

"Her loss has been my gain though." Gigi pointed out quietly. If Sherry hadn't have left she'd never have gotten the life she had right now and that was more of a tragedy than her being abandoned. "Still on a happier note are you going to call Kevin and let him know you are back in town?"

Margot blushed. She'd met Kevin at Finn and Anne Marie's New Years bash. She'd come home to spend holidays with her family because her oldest brother was getting married. Gigi had begged her to make drive from Vermont and join her there. Rory had been the one to introduce her to Kevin. They'd hit it off instantly. It turns out he was an orthodontist in Hartford as well as the heir to the successful family practice that was responsible for nearly all of the braces at Chilton. In addition he was handsome, charming, and very interested in her. They'd exchanged emails as well as a couple of phone calls since their first meeting, but she wasn't sure he was still interested in her that way. A man like that probably had plenty of offers from successful women. "I don't think so."

"He's still single and interested." Gigi could sense her doubt that he was still interested though she for the life of her couldn't understand why. If Margot had wanted she could have been a model. She was the kind of natural beauty that you just didn't see everyday. She didn't need makeup or fancy clothes to look beautiful. She could make jeans and a t-shirt look good.

"How do you know that?"

Gigi grinned. "I bumped into him at the club the other day when I was having lunch with James. You should bring him to the ball. We've secured two tables so there's plenty of room."

"I'm sure he was just being polite when he asked about me."

"More like he hasn't stopped thinking about you since you rang in the New Years together just a few shorts months ago. Call him. I swear that man was clearly interested in you. It was obvious. I wouldn't have brought it up if it wasn't."

"How about we work on your French essay?" Margot asked trying to change the subject.

Gigi smirked. "Nice try. At least consider it. As you recall he has washboard abs and perfect Crest commercial teeth."

"I'll consider it."

"Good now we can work on the essay. I'm supposed to write about a cause I'm passionate about in French. It has to be a minimum 3,000 words." Gigi was pretty sure that there would never be a college professor who could try and break her spirits more than her French teacher.

- - -

"Sherry is going to flip her shit when she finds out that you hired Margot." Logan pointed out as he read over an article one of his reporters had sent him to proofread. It was going to be on the front page and was going to run in several papers along the East Coast so he needed it to be flawless.

Rory shrugged, "As if I care. That woman is just exasperating. You know she told Margot that she basically couldn't come to Gigi's debutante ball even when Margot made it clear that not only would she pay her own way, but Gigi had personally invited her. Who does that?"

"She really said that to her."

"That's what Mom told me when she called yesterday to tell me that Margot was flying in today. She said Margot cried for at least an hour." Rory sighed. "She broke Margot like Mitchum tried to break me."

Logan sighed and put the paper he was proofreading down. He looked at her and then gently kissed her forehead. "I'm still sorry he did that to you Ace."

"It wasn't your fault." Rory whispered softly. She knew how touchy of a subject this was with him. He always put all of the blame for that on his own shoulders despite the fact that he had no idea what happened until at least a month afterwards. "All you did was fall in love with me Logan and our marriage is worth what your father did to me."

"Still Ace…"

She kissed him so as to stop him from apologizing again. "I love you Logan."

He smirked. "I love you too." He gently rubbed her stomach. It was still flat, but he couldn't help but be amazed at the fact that a little person was growing inside there. "Let's make a pact now that we never do that to our kid."

"Deal," Rory agreed before picking her laptop up and going back to working on the magazine cover. She stopped after a minute. "Are you excited about this baby Logan? I was watching this show the other day and the woman was desperate for a child, but the husband wasn't but he sort of went along with it and pretended he was. I don't know. You're not just going along with what I want are you?"

There were moments when Rory truly mystified Logan. This was one of them. "Rory I am so excited for this baby. I haven't been this excited in a very long time. I want to be a parent just as much as you. Please stop watching shows that get you so worked up."

"I'll try." Rory grinned sheepishly. "Anyway I just had to make sure. I didn't want to wake in five years and have you resenting me and our kid."

"You don't have to worry about that."

"Good."

"How's the cover going?"

"It's good. It's going to be bold this month. We're going with an electric blue and yeah I'm not going to bore you with the details." Rory was passionate about covers. She never realized just how much a cover could change the way you view a magazine.

And this was one of those moments when Logan was reminded of just why and how much he loved her. She may have been crazy, but she was definitely amazing.

- - -

Gigi hopped into her Tahoe and pulled out of the Inn's parking lot. She was tired and brain dead, but at least her essay was done which helped a lot since she was going to be busy all weekend. She cranked the radio up and was in the middle of rapping along to a Plies song when she felt her phone start to vibrate. She grinned when she saw James' name flash across the scene. She turned the radio down and pressed answer. "It's about damn time…"

- - -

Margot sat on her bed staring at his name in her caller ID finally she sighed and pressed the call button. She couldn't help but smile at the sound of his voice. "Hey Kev it's Margot from Finn and Anne Marie's New Years party."

"I know who you are Margot. Not only do you a memorable name, but I haven't stopped thinking about you since we met. How are you?"

Margot felt backwards on to the bed and kicked her legs in the air in excitement. Gigi hadn't been lying when she said he'd asked about her and was still interested which was a total relief. "I'm good actually. I've moved back stateside I'm working with Rory at Stripe. Anyway I know it's late and you probably have appointments early in the morning, but I was wondering if you wanted to be my date to Gigi's debutante ball." She held her breath as she waited for him to answer all the while praying he would say yes.

"It'd be my pleasure."

She let out the deep breath she'd been holding. "Awesome."

- - -

In the middle of Gigi's conversation with James Sherry had called. She had of course ignored it and let it go to voicemail. Once she was done she checked it and rolled her eyes.

"_Gigi it's your mother. I was just calling to talk. Margot quit yesterday. Anyway I'll see you at the airport on Thursday. I look forward to it. Maybe you could bring Miles. Love and miss you." _

She angrily hit the number 7 to delete the call before hanging up and tossing the phone on the seat. She was almost certain that Sherry knew that she already knew about Margot quitting. Also it wasn't shocking that she didn't know about her breaking up with Miles. Gigi groaned knowing that her mother would grill her about James when she picked her up on Thursday and because everybody loved him she probably wouldn't and she really didn't give a damn.

- - -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: AH! I'M REALLY NOT THAT SURE ABOUT THIS CHAPTER AT ALL. I JUST SORT OF LET IT TAKE ME WHERE IT WANTED TO. I'M PRETTY SURE SHERRY WILL BE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER SO THAT'LL BE INTERESTING ENOUGH. THE BALL IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER. ANYWAY THANKS FOR READING. I HOPE YOU TAKE THE TIME TO REVIEW. I TOTALLY LOVE THEM. IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, OR CONCERNS THEN VOICE THEM IN A REVIEW. HAHA. YA'LL ROCK. - KRiSTiNE. **


	18. Showdown in the Girls Bathroom

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: A LOT OF YA'LL WERE DISAPPOINTED THAT THERE WASN'T MORE JAMES AND GIGI ACTION GOING ON IN THE LAST CHAPTER WHICH I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH. I HONESTLY MEANT FOR THERE TO BE MORE, BUT IT DIDN'T WORK OUT THAT WAY. I PROMISE TO MAKE UP FOR IT THIS WAY. STILL I WAS GLAD TO SEE THAT MOST OF YOU ENJOYED LAST CHAPTER WHICH WAS LIKE YAY FOR ME BECAUSE I WAS WORRIED YOU WOULDN'T. THIS IS THE CHAPTER WHERE SHERRY FINALLY SHOWS UP. CUE SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC. ANYWAY I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER. THANKS FOR TUNING BACK IN. **

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE FABULOUS ANNE MARIE. BUT IF I DID OWN GILMORE GIRLS SHE WOULD HAVE SO SAID YES. **

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: SHOWDOWN IN THE GIRL'S BATHROOM**

- - -

Gigi groaned as she sat down at her usual lunch table. Sylvie, Audrey, and Fallon were already there though each of them seemed to be in their own little worlds. She took a sullen bite of pineapple.

"What has you in such a bad mood?" Sylvie asked not looking up from Latin book. She had gone to dinner and a movie with Ben last night and had somehow managed to forget that she had a quiz to study for. Luckily Latin was one of her best subjects and she could ace the quiz in her sleep. Still she hated to be unprepared.

"I have to pick Sherry up from the airport this afternoon." Gigi explained with a heavy sigh. She wasn't looking forward to being trapped in a car with her. They had nothing in common and conversation was always awkward. She wished that they could have just sent a car service for her.

Audrey looked up from the hair magazine that she was looking at. "That sucks big time boo." She had only met Sherry a couple of times, but could tell that Sherry was a difficult kind of woman.

"I know and even worse I've got to go to dinner with her by myself and you know she'll want to go somewhere pretentious and the food won't even be that good. The woman is impossible." The last time Sherry had taken Gigi to dinner it had been to this horrible Indian restaurant where the curry cost twice as much as her usual place and was a disgrace to curry. When Gigi suggested next time that they go to her favorite Indian restaurant which wasn't nearly as posh you would have thought she had told Sherry she was a lesbian.

Fallon frowned. "Well on a more positive note you get to see James tomorrow and the party tomorrow night should be awesome."

Gigi couldn't help but smile at the mere mention of James. He'd sent her a text early this morning asking if she thought he could be made into a hip hop dancer or if he should stick with a rapper. It was all because the night before she'd said that she'd always wanted to be Made, but was too indecisive to decide what she wanted to be.

"You have fallen so hard for him." Sylvie pointed out.

Gigi shrugged, "Look who's talking. You're so into Ben you're skipping studying for him. If only Paul could see you now."

"Well Miles does see you. Fergie said that she saw him staring at you at the garden party. Even better Fergie said she knew Keaton saw him too and rumor has it she chewed him out in the parking lot for it." Fergie was the reason Fallon rarely paid attention in Art History. There was always gossip for the two of them to share.

"Not shocking seeing as the jackass showed up at my house the night of the luncheon begging me to take him back. The second he saw that I upgraded him he realized that he downgraded and tried to rectify the situation." Gigi hadn't told anyone other than Rory in hopes that it would make forgetting about that night easier. Not talking about it made it easier for her to not deck Miles whenever she saw him.

"And you?" Audrey prompted her best friend.

"I obviously said no of course. And get this he has the nerve to basically blame his cheating on me." She paused to collect herself for a second. "On the fact that people didn't understand why I was with him." Gigi still couldn't believe he had the nerve to say that to her. To act like it was all her fault.

"He's such a fucking tool G." Fallon concluded.

"You're telling me. And now he's Keaton's tool. And no matter how much he hates it, it's going to stay that way." Gigi joked with a grin.

Audrey grinned. "Thank god ooh look out here comes the devil herself." Audrey pointed out Keaton who was sashaying her way across the cafeteria in a blouse that was too tight and a skirt that was too altered.

"Yes?" Sylvie asked with disinterest once Keaton reached the table.

"Gigi I wanted to talk to you privately if that was possible." Keaton's voice was civil, but definitely not friendly. She didn't bother to acknowledge the other three girls sitting at the table despite the fact that they were staring at her intently.

Gigi sighed and rolled her eyes. She figured she could spare a couple of minutes. She got up from the table. "Good luck on the quiz Syl. See you bitches tomorrow as long as I survive dinner with Sherry." She knew the entire cafeteria was watching her and Keaton make their way out of the hallway. She followed the bleached blonde quietly not sure where they were headed. She rolled her eyes when she realized that they were going to the girl's bathroom. Rory had once told her a story about a meeting that took place in a girl's bathroom. She hoped hers went a little better than that one. "What do you want Keaton?" She asked impatiently as Keaton locked the door behind them. "This is a fucking prep school not Gitmo. Unless of course your whores are hiding in the stall and your about to haze me or something."

Keaton scoffed. "You wish we would waste something like that on you." She rolled her eyes. "Anyway I just wanted to let you know that you better fucking stay away from Miles."

Gigi looked at Keaton in disbelief. "You called me into this little meeting all because of Miles. You think I want that pasty son of a bitch back? He's all yours Keaton."

Keaton didn't buy her story for a bit. "Then why is it every time I turn around he's looking at you?"

"Because he wants me back, but the feeling is sure as hell not mutual. Have you seen James Keaton? I've upgraded and Miles well I guess he doesn't feel the same." Gigi felt a bit like one of those catty girls on 90210. Rarely did she ever have diva moments like this. It was the nerve of Keaton to accuse her of trying to steal Miles back that got her so riled up.

Keaton felt like she had just been slapped. Gigi's words stung because she knew they were true. She gulped.

Gigi knew she had surprised Keaton. The other girl thought she was just going to boss Gigi around and intimidate her, but that wasn't the case. Not this time. "Ask him where he was the night of the luncheon and then if his answer doesn't break your heart go ahead and wonder if he's telling you the truth."

"You're such a fucking bitch."

"I'm the bitch? I'm not the one who called this meeting. I'm not the one who stole Miles. Fuck I'm not even the one who started this dumbass feud. Now maybe this conversation would have gone differently had it taken place a week ago, but to be honest I've got bigger shit on my plate than Miles. I've got to go to the airport and pick up my mother a person who I hate more than you and your friends put together if that is humanly possible. Not that this wasn't fun, but if you'll excuse me I'm going to go now." Gigi turned around and made her way to the door. She smirked when she realized that Keaton seemed to be frozen in place. Today was not the day to fuck with Gigi Hayden that was for damn sure.

- - -

Rory couldn't contain her grin as she read over the article that Margot had written up. While she had a feeling that the girl could write she had no idea she was this good. She picked up her office phone and asked Margot to come in. She wiped the smile off of her face as she watched her walk in. "Have a seat Margot," Rory instructed as she motioned to the comfortable polka dot chair in front of her desk.

Margot sat down timidly. When Sherry called her into her office and asked her to sit it always lead to Sherry berating her for doing something wrong like not allowing a call into her office even if she said not to bother her. "Yes Rory?"

"I looked over the article you wrote up and I must say," She paused for dramatic effect before grinning. "It was amazing Margot. One of the best articles I've ever read. It was so fun and full of life."

"Really?" Margot asked. She was too stunned to do much else.

"Yes you really did a great job. This is going to go right into this month's issue. I'll have to move a couple things around, but your article is going to make our magazine better. You really should have considered a career in journalism sooner."

Margot hopped up from her seat and enveloped Rory in a tight hug. She was the luckiest twenty five year old on the planet. "Thank you so much."

"Don't thank me Margot this was all you." Rory assured her.

Margot nodded and then made her way to leave. She couldn't wait to tell her mother about this. She stopped just before opening the door. "Have you heard from Gigi?"

Rory sighed. "No not yet. I'm sure I'll get a text five minutes after she picks Sherry up."

Margot felt bad for the girl. It was one thing to hate your boss, but it was another to hate your mother. "Thank you again for the good news Rory."

Rory's grin grew even wider when she saw that Logan was calling her. "And my day just keeps getting better." She replied sincerely.

Logan sighed into the phone. "Not so fast Ace I've got news that's going to probably rain on your parade. First before that how was Margot's article?"

"It was like the first time you saw that Thriller video, mind-blowing. She really rocked it. Now onto the rainy news," Rory steeled herself. Of course on a day when she was flying high this kind of bullshit had to go down.

Logan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Mandy from the Philadelphia Inquirer called the office today. She's a book reviewer and she just finished reading Jess' new book. It's about a thinly veiled tale about your relationship. It's all about a little rich girl growing up in a small town falling in love with the deep bad boy and while not riding off in the sunset with him because she's trapped in a loveless marriage to a newspaper tycoon due to pressure from her family. Still despite the millions she still wants to be with the boy who stole her heart in high school. Mandy said that anyone who knows anything will know it's about you and him. He claimed you lost your virginity to each other in the back of a portly woman's studio."

Rory thought she was going to be sick. Every few years Jess would pop up either calling or sending her a new book. And while Logan was always calm and understanding she could tell by the way he'd clinch his fists or grind his teeth that he was furious. "Logan I don't know what to say except I fucking hate him so much. You know he's only doing this because he's gone from talked about to irrelevant. He's trying to get press for this shitty little novel because his publishers are probably considering dropping him. It's all lies Logan. I swear."

"I know Ace, I know. Still it's going to be out there and you know there are people gullible enough to believe his bullshit." Logan pinched the bridge of his nose and then realized he needed a stiff drink. He got up to pour himself a glass of scotch.

"I'll call him. I'll do my best to straighten it out." Rory assured him. She knew there was little she could do, but she also knew that her guarantee that she was going to call him would make Logan feel better. "So what'd Mandy think of the book?"

"That is was an obvious attempt to please the masses and extend his fifteen minutes of relevance, but that it'll definitely convince more than a few people that you two are supposedly soul mates. She's going to pan in it in a big way and she's going to do her best to make sure everybody knows its bullshit."

"I love you Logan."

"I love you too Ace. I'm sorry I rained on your parade."

"I'm sorry I dated Jess."

"Thank god Dean isn't very good with words." He joked.

Rory cringed at the thought of Dean writing a story about them. He was the one who could really sell papers if he did. He lost her to Logan Huntzberger after leaving his wife for her. People would eat that up.

- - -

"How many bottles of champagne do you think we will need?" Emily asked Francine as they went over the beverage list for tomorrow's festivities.

"At least four dozen I would think because you know Gig's friends will pilfer as many bottles as possible and so will Rory's. If we order too much that's fine, but the last thing we need is for the kids to drink all the bubbly and leave us with nothing." Francine explained.

"You're so right." Emily agreed as she jotted that down on the order form. "God it's so exciting to be having a party again. I feel like we haven't had one in ages."

"We had one just a couple of months ago." Francine pointed out. "But I'm excited too."

"Too bad Sherry is coming."

Francine frowned. "Don't remind me. That girl is just dreadful." Francine could still remember the first time she met Sherry. She'd thought she was just the cats meow. It took Francine everything she had to not mention to the girl that her last name meant nothing to Francine and that her son would never love her like he loved Lorelai. When she ran out of Gigi she wasn't surprised in the least. While she never claimed to be the worlds best mother she never would have run out on Christopher like that. Hell at sixteen Lorelai had been selfless enough to be a mother and teenagers were the most selfish people on the planet.

"Can you believe Gigi is debuting?"

"No, but then again I can't believe she's in high school either." Francine admitted softly. "Her portrait is going to look marvelous beside Rory's."

Emily couldn't help but agree. She felt her throat constrict and decided to change the subject to something that would keep her mascara from running. "I can't wait to read the article they do on Gigi's debut. I don't understand how she could be so nonchalant about it all as though it were everyday she was picked to be the face of the debutante ball."

"Just like Rory. Everyone who was anyone in Hartford wants to attend her and Logan's wedding and she insists that the guest list is less than 150 people." Francine remembered her jaw dropping when Rory said 150. She and Emily had been discussing more like 500.

"Those girls," Emily said and then just to let her sentence trail off. "Anyway what about scotch, how much do you think we should order of that?"

- - -

Gigi slung her backpack over her right shoulder and slowly made her way out of the building and to her car. Today had been longer than she could have possibly imagined and the hardest part still hadn't come. She sighed and pulled out her cell phone and quickly sent a text to Rory that said just shoot me. Still all of her irritation about Sherry disappeared when she saw him sitting on a bench waiting for her. She could have recognized his blazer and mussed hair anywhere. She took off down the stairs and threw herself into his arms. Somehow he had just turned this day around. "Thank god you're here."

James chuckled. "I'm happy to see you too."

- - -

Rory impatiently tapped her fingers on her desk as she waited for him to pick up. He'd changed his cell phone number since the last time they talked, but luckily Margot had been able to track him down though it had taken nearly two hours. She frowned when she heard his indistinguishable voice. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Rory?" He asked. He sat up on his couch and groaned. He hadn't gotten in until eight this morning and was hung over.

"I'll repeat myself. What the hell were you thinking?"

"You heard about my new book I take it."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Well seeing as my husband owns the Philadelphia Inquirer I'd think I'd surely be one of the first to fucking know that you've decided to rewrite our story and use it to extend your fame. Don't even try and bullshit me and say something like you didn't know I'd find out this way and you were going to tell me about yourself. What are you hoping for an invitation to sit on Oprah's couch?"

"It's good to see that you haven't become a Stepford Wife."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You were supposed to be a real journalist Rory. You should be in Darfur right now not in Hartford drinking tea and bullshitting with the ladies at the club."

Rory shook her head in disbelief. "You know nothing about my life. If you did you'd know that I work for one of the fastest growing magazines in the United States. It's called Stripe. Look it up." She took a deep breath. "I've known you were an asshole, but this is low even for you. I'm a happily married woman Jess. This isn't fair to my husband who I love. People are going to believe all the lies you wrote. People are really going to think that I'm sitting in Hartford pining for you when I'm not. I am not."

"Are you sure? Are you sure you're happy to be married to a sanctimonious dick like Logan Huntzberger?"

"You'll never be half the man that Logan is."

"Not to hurt your feelings or anything Rory, but my new story isn't even about you or us. I've moved on."

Rory scoffed. "Well you have a funny way of showing that you've moved on Jess and you can't seriously think I'm going to buy that bullshit about it not being about me. Mandy called my husband the second she finished it because it was so obviously about us or what you've wanted us to be."

"Well Mandy must be reading into it too much. She's not the brightest girl that one. She's just trying to cause trouble."

"If you can't be honest with me now at this age what makes you think I could ever love you. I'm so over this. I hope you're happy that you had to sink to this level to get people to fucking give a damn about you." Rory seethed into the phone before hanging up. She sat there for a second not sure what to say or do. Anger was coursing threw her veins. She sighed when she heard her cell phone beep and smiled when she read Gigi's text. Jess was not going to fucking rain on her parade.

- - -

James wrapped an arm protectively about Gigi's petite waist as they made their way into the small airport. It had been Honor's idea for him to come here today. She'd thought Gigi might need him. From the way Gig looked when she walked out of the school he would say Honor was right. "Is it true you had a showdown with Keaton in a girl's bathroom at lunch?"

Gigi blushed. "How'd you hear about that?"

"It's all over the blogs. Supposedly you really let her have it. I think I recall reading that I was an upgrade." James' heart had swelled when he heard that part from Sela.

"She cornered me and I just didn't have the patience to deal with allegations that I wanted Miles back. As if." She explained.

"Well it seems everyone is behind you. Even Pamela sent me a text saying that it seems your feistier than she gave you credit for. She's happy she didn't get in a catfight with you." James and Pamela had a better relationship now than they had ever had before.

"I was pretty shocked with my behavior. I normally would have just let her do all the talking and stood there like a mute."

"I'm happy you didn't."

"So am I."

He nodded and they walked quietly. "So is there anything in particular I should know about your Mom."

"Sherry call her Sherry. I only call Lorelai Mom." Gigi instructed. "But no she works for a makeup company in Paris and is extremely uptight. I think she might be addicted to botox."

James laughed.

"She's probably not going to be happy to see you especially when she finds out that I'm not with Miles anymore. Sherry is the only person other than I guess Keaton who likes Miles." Gigi should have known that Miles wasn't the guy for her when she found out that Sherry liked him and no one else did.

"Oh well gee…"

"Me liking you and my family liking you is way more important than her. Like I said she likes Miles."

James started to say something when he felt her tense. He saw a blonde woman wearing a black pantsuit make her way towards them. She was smiling, but it didn't look natural. He was surprised when the woman went for a hug and Gigi instead extended her hand and said how about a handshake. What shocked him even more is that the woman actually shook her hand. He smiled when he realized she was looking at him.

"Who's this?" Sherry asked her daughter in reference to the young man with his arm wrapped around her waist. "Where's Miles?"

"Miles and I broke up three weeks ago. This is my-" she paused momentarily to think of the best way to describe what he was to her seeing as they'd yet to make their relationship official even though they basically were. "This is my escort for the debutante ball James Bradshaw. His father and brother are two of the most celebrated architects in New England. They've been featured in Architectural Digest." Gigi wasn't sure why she was supplying Sherry with all of this information. She didn't care what the woman thought of James. She knew he was better. Still here she was spitting out his families credentials.

Sherry looked James up and down. "What happened with you and Miles? He was such a nice boy."

"No he wasn't."

"Yes he was. He was always very polite and cordial."

James shook his head in disbelief. "Miles dumped Gigi three weeks ago for Keaton Somersby, the biggest bitch at Chilton and Gigi's nemesis. Yeah he was a real stand up guy."

Sherry looked at James in shock still she didn't acknowledge his presence. "Gigi is this true?"

"Yes, yes it is." Gigi whispered.

"Well…" Sherry said but couldn't think of anything to add. She sighed when she saw her bag on the conveyor belt. She grabbed it and then motioned for them to make their leave. "I wish you would wear the makeup I sent you." Sherry said once they were outside and she could see that Gigi was wearing MAC.

"I prefer MAC." Gigi explained coolly.

James had thought Pamela's house had been awkward, but it was nothing compared to Sherry and Gigi.

Gigi drove the car in silence before finally exploding when they reached the stoplight. "You could at least acknowledge his presence. You could at least say hello to him instead of acting like he isn't here." She said in reference to James.

"And you could not use that tone with me seeing as I am your mother."

Gigi scoffed. "No your not," she muttered.

"What'd you say?" Sherry demanded.

"Nothing," Gigi thought it best to use her manners.

Sherry was not going to back down that easy. "No Gigi repeat what you said."

"I said no your not." Gigi repeated this time loud enough for Sherry to hear her. When she looked in the mirror she saw Sherry's reaction. Apparently she hadn't expected Gigi to actually repeat herself.

"And who do you think is your mother Georgia? Lorelai?"

James thought this must be what it is like to be a camera man in the real world house.

Gigi turned her blinker on and swiftly pulled into an empty parking lot. She had a feeling that this was the kind of argument you couldn't have while driving. She got out of the car and waited for Sherry to join her. She mouthed I'm sorry to James who was sitting in the car looking shocked. "No I don't think she's my mother." She let Sherry get some sort of false sense of comfort from her words before continuing, "I know she is." From the way Sherry's face contorted she knew she'd basically stabbed her mother in the stomach. "And before we get too far from the airport I think we should go over a couple of things. You're here because you asked to be here. I didn't invite you. James is the most amazing guy I've ever met who wasn't one of Rory's friends. He gets me and he likes me in a way that Miles never did. If you want to keep your invite then you better be nice to James and stopping fucking criticizing me and my life. I love Lorelai. She'd never ditch me for Paris. And Margot is going to be there tomorrow night as well as at the ball as one of my guests. Don't for a second think you can treat her like she still works for you. Now I've had a really long and shitty day and James being here for me right now is the best part. If you understand all of this then I'll take you to your hotel for the evening. If you don't then I'll bring you back to the airport." She waited to see what Sherry was going to say.

Sherry nodded. She followed Gigi back to the car and got into the backseat. She sighed and collected her things once they reached the hotel. "I never meant to ditch you Gigi." She whispered softly before opening her door.

"Well it's a little late for that now isn't it. Anyway that was a long time ago. I'll see you tomorrow evening at the Gilmore's for the party. It's black tie." Gigi wasn't willing to have it out with her again.

Sherry realizing that she needed to be on her best behavior nodded and said "It was nice meeting you James. I'm sure you and Gigi will make a lovely couple at the ball." She waved before making her way into the Hilton.

Gigi let out a deep breath that she hadn't realized she was holding. "So that must have been the most awkward car ride you've ever experienced."

"It was pretty uncomfortable yeah." James admitted.

"She brings out the worst in me. She always has. We've never had it out quite like that before though. I basically issued her an ultimatum."

"That's what it looked like you were doing. I really can't believe she's your mother."

"Neither can I. I've always wished Lorelai had been my Mom too. She's always treated me the exact same, but it'd be nice not to have a Sherry."

James nodded and squeezed her hand affectionately.

"Anyway I'm really happy you're here and I'm sorry she was a bitch to you and thank you for standing up for me and I'm going to stop rambling now."

"I know what you should be Made into?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah I think you should be Made into my girlfriend."

"Okay that was corny."

James blushed. "Yeah it was…"

"But it was also really sweet and I'd really like to officially be your girlfriend."

"Thank god because if you said no I was going to feel like such a putz, but Honor told me you wouldn't say no and she's usual right about these things."

"You talked to Honor about this?"

"I talk to Honor about basically everything."

And that was just another thing that Gigi loved about James. "You want to grab dinner?"

"Is the Pope Catholic?"

Gigi couldn't help but grin because despite Sherry and Keaton today was going to end up being one of the best days of her life. She just knew it.

- - -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: SOMEONE ASKED FOR PARIS, FINN, COLIN, STEPH, LANE, AND THE REST OF THE GANG TO MAKE ANOTHER APPEARANCE AND THEY WILL BE. THEY'LL DEFINITELY BE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER. IT WAS FAR MORE DRAMATIC THAN IT WAS GOING TO BE WHEN I TYPED THE FIRST SENTENCE. I'M HONESTLY NOT SURE WHERE THE JESS PART CAME FROM. IT JUST SUDDENLY HIT ME AND I WAS LIKE WELL THAT'D BE AN INTERESTING LITTLE TWIST TO THROW IN THERE. THANKS FOR READING. REVIEWING IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED AND MAKES MY DAY. YA'LL ROCK. - KRISTINE. **


	19. A Freak Out, Cracked Jaw, and Rap Video

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THANKS FOR THE GREAT RESPONSE. I'M HAPPY TO SEE THAT MOST OF YA'LL ENJOYED RORY TELLING SHERRY OFF. I FELT LIKE SHE NEEDED IT. HAHA. ANYWAY IT TOTALLY SUCKS THAT UPDATING MEANS THAT SOON THIS STORY IS GOING TO BE OVER AND THEN I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHAT I'M GOING TO DO. DON'T WORRY THAT DOESN'T MEAN I'M GOING TO STOP UPDATING. HAHA. IT JUST SUCKS. ANYWAY I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS CHAPTER. THANKS FOR TUNING BACK IN. **

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE FABULOUS ANNE MARIE. BUT IF I DID OWN GILMORE GIRLS SHE WOULD HAVE SO SAID YES. **

**CHAPTER NINETEEN: A FREAK OUT, CRACKED JAW, AND RAP VIDEO**

- - -

Gigi groaned as she sat down at her computer. Despite the fact that nearly every girl in her class was coming out this weekend Madame had still assigned them labs. She decided to stall for a little bit longer so she checked her email before opening up her labs. She was surprised when she found an email from an address she didn't recognize. Even though you're taught not to open things from people you don't know Gigi thought the subject which said CONGRATULATIONS sounded harmless enough so she opened it. Her jaw dropped and her lips formed a perfect O when she realized that it was from Pamela.

_Hello Gigi this is Pamela. You're probably wondering how on Earth I got a hold of your email address. We both know just how easy it is to track down information if you're resourceful enough. Anyway I'm very proud of you for standing up for yourself. Rumor has it Keaton Somersby is quite the bitch. Some say she's worse than me. I've heard your showdown was pretty epic. I also wanted to tell you congratulations on getting together with James. It's about time. Good luck on Saturday with the ball. I've heard you and James are going to be on the front page of the Courant's society section. I'm going to make sure to track Sunday's edition down. Yours truly, P. _

Gigi laughed and quickly replied to Pamela's email. She had never imagined that someone Honor would consistently refer to as skankzilla would be so sweet. It seems that Pamela may have seen the error of her ways. Once she finished the email she reluctantly opened her labs.

- - -

Christopher sighed as he sat down in his office chair. There was nowhere he wanted to be more than upstairs in bed with his wife, but somehow one of the reports had gotten lost and he needed to get it redone before his conference call in the morning. He stared at all of the pictures on his desk as he had a tendency to do while he waited for his computer to boot up. It was in these small quiet moments that he marveled at just how much his life had changed since that night when Rory showed up on his doorstep. He was in the middle of a paragraph when his cell phone started to vibrate. He was surprised when he saw Rory's name on the caller ID. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was well after 10:00. "Rory?"

"Hey Dad," Rory was sitting in her office working on the new layout. Logan had called on his way to the airport earlier about an emergency at one of the Midwestern papers, but had assured her that he'd be back before she awoke in the morning. After the kind of day she had she had been looking forward to sharing a nice meal and watching The Real Housewives of New Jersey with him. All of this had resulted in her needing someone to talk to so even though it was later than usual she had picked up the phone and called her Dad. She somehow just knew that he would still be awake too. "I know it's late but,"

"But nothing Rory," Christopher interrupted her. "I'm working on a very boring report that somehow got lost and I need a distraction. Is everything okay?"

She sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Jess wrote a new book."

"I take it you're a central character." Christopher guessed quietly. He knew very little of Jess except for the fact that he was the boy driving the car when Rory broke her arm. The rest he'd only heard from Lorelai. Nevertheless nobody who really knew him seemed to have a positive thing to say about him.

"He's alleging that I'm trapped in a loveless marriage and I want him back."

"Oh Rory how'd Logan take the news."

"He's furious of course. At some point this stops being pathetic and just becomes outrageous. And I just worry that…" Her voice trailed off as she looked out the window. It had at some point starting raining without her even realizing it.

"That Logan will start doubting whether or not you're telling the truth?" Christopher asked carefully.

"It just Jess keeps insisting all of these things and well it must be hard to just keep trying to ignore them. And there's nothing I can do about it. I called him and ripped him a new one and he sounded so smug. This isn't fair to Logan."

"No it's not Rory, but it's not fair to you either."

And for the first time that day since finding out the news Rory cried because it wasn't fair that he should keep popping up into her life like this as though it was his right. She was not going to bring a child into a world where Jess could always just pop up.

"Logan's not going to stop believing you Rory. He knows you're happy and that you love him. I do recall you telling me that you had a chance to choose Jess about ten years ago and you didn't." Christopher assured her. "Logan knows that too."

"Then why did he get on a plane for the Midwest instead of letting someone else handle this so called emergency?"

"Because that's what you do when you're in charge of a multi-million dollar corporation."

Rory closed her eyes and realized that she must have sounded so stupid. Her Dad was right. Logan was just being responsible. He wasn't avoiding her. When she told Logan about this mini-breakdown later she'd blame her irrationality on hormones. Isn't that what women did in movies? "You're right."

"I know." Christopher joked.

"Thanks for listening to me whine. I'm sorry I'm always freaking out on you."

"I'm always going to be here for you Rory and believe me there's no one else I'd rather you'd go to during a freak out. Now I don't mean to rush off the phone, but I'm pretty sure your Mom is going to kill me if I don't get upstairs and I've still got a couple more things to do before this report is finished."

"No I understand completely. Thanks Dad and good luck. I'll see you tomorrow night at the party." They joked for another minute before she hung up the phone and went back to working on the layout no longer stressing that Logan believed Jess' bullshit.

- - -

Logan walked into what he felt like must have been the millionth bar. He scanned the room looking for the dark haired person that had brought him to Philadelphia. For too long Logan had let Jess get away with murder not even acknowledging all of his wrongdoings. Well enough was enough. He let out a sigh of relief when finally found Jess. Now that he found them he wasn't exactly sure what to do. He downed a glass of scotch before making his way over to where Jess was sitting. He tapped on his shoulder expectantly.

Jess whirled around on his tool and nearly choked on his beer when he saw Logan standing there.

"Can I have a word with you?"

"Whatever you have to say you can say here." Jess was not going to risk following Logan into some back alley.

Logan realized in that moment that Jess was scared of him. Jess who regularly referred to Logan as nothing more than a pompous and over-privileged jackass was scared of him. "I'd prefer to have this conversation in private. Don't worry I haven't hired guys to rough you up once we step outside. Believe me if I had I wouldn't have come here to incriminate myself. I'm not nearly as dumb as you tell reporters I am."

He picked up his friends phone and took a quick picture of Logan in the bar. "Evidence just in case somebody finds my body in a ditch tomorrow."

Logan rolled his eyes. He'd never be sure what Rory saw in this asshole. Supposedly once upon a time he was actually kind of a deep. Still Dean might not have been deep, but he was actually a good person. Once they were outside he walked into the alley that separated this bar from a bookstore. He stared at Jess and for the first time took in his appearance. He had dark circles under his eyes, a horrible too young haircut, and enough facial hair to almost constitute it as a beard.

"So you called me out here. Speak because I've got a hot blonde in there whose hand has been in my lap all night and I'd like to get back to her."

"You really are an asshole." Logan stated matter of factly. "Listen up and listen up good. Stay the fuck away from my wife and stop bringing her up every second you think people are going to stop acknowledging your existence."

"Or what?" Jess challenged. "You'll kick my ass?"

"You wish. No I'll just do what any over-privileged jackass would do and I'll have your name drug through the dirt. I'll make sure publishing companies know how much my company dislikes you and people who work with you. They'll get the idea. It's really just that easy Jess." Logan could see Jess' jaw clench. "So cut the bullshit because it's really just getting fucking old."

"Who says it bullshit though Logan? Rory? How do you know she isn't just trying to keep you happy until she figures out the best way to leave your ass? I never understood why she settled for you when she was meant for such greatness. She wanted to be a foreign correspondent and instead she's stuck being your trophy wife." Jess spat. He didn't care what Rory said when he they talked earlier. There was no way she could actually be happy living that way.

And it was in that instant that Logan finally realized just how little Jess really knew about Rory because if he knew more then he'd know that it had been Rory who wanted to settle down. It had been Rory who turned down the ABC News job. It had been Rory who decided to take the job at Stripe. All of those things had been her choices. Whatever she wanted to do Logan was going to support. And if Jess really thought that all Rory was right now was a trophy wife then he was the real idiot. He no longer felt the need to crack Jess in the jaw. He smirked and then he turned around and started to walk away.

"Ooh did I hit a nerve?" Jess taunted. "Go get back on your fancy plane and just hope that one morning she doesn't wake up and realize that you're not enough man for her and that she feels trapped. Because when she does and she will, I'll be waiting for her. Ready to show her what a real man can do."

"What drink himself into oblivion and hang on to a relationship that took place over a decade ago? Oh and try to bed her on a futon." Logan had tried to be the bigger person, but it had never been one of his strengths. He was still Logan Huntzberger after all. Rory hadn't changed him that much.

He started to walk away but then he heard Jess try to charge him. Logan spun around and decided that maybe he did still want to crack Jess' jaw. Before Jess could even make contact with him Logan connected with a straight right hook. "Go fuck yourself Jess because I'm pretty sure I just saw that blonde getting a cab with another guy." He realized moments later that the pain that comes after hitting someone was part of the reason he hadn't done it in a long while. He threw a couple of twenties on top of Jess and told him to clean himself up before walking away casually and hopping into his waiting town car.

- - -

Rory was lying in bed sleeping lightly when she heard her bedroom door open. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was after 2:00 am. She sat up in her bed. "Did you get everything cleared up?"

"Oh hey Ace sorry I didn't mean to wake you." Logan apologized as he removed his pants and shoes before climbing into bed with her.

"You didn't really. It's hard for me to sleep when you aren't here. Anyway did you get everything cleared up?"

Logan gave her a quizzical look.

"With the Midwestern paper, you said there was some sort of emergency." Rory explained. She suddenly started to panic thinking that maybe he'd just been lying and that he had gone to clear his head. Maybe he had doubted that she was telling the truth.

"Oh yeah that uh yeah I got everything cleared up." Logan lied. He was mentally kicking himself. How in the world had he forgotten the lie he devised for his reasoning as to why he was going to be home late? Then again he guessed part of the problem was that he didn't expect to talk to her tonight. He had been thinking he'd just be able to slip into bed.

Rory frowned. "Where were you really? Is this about Jess' article? I swear Logan I wasn't lying. I love you and I'm happy. I don't feel anything for Jess, but disgust." She grabbed his left hand and pulled back when he flinched.

He saw the way hurt flashed in her eyes when he flinched and knew in that instant that he'd have to tell her the truth. He just hoped she was going to see that he did it because he loved her. "Ace I wasn't in Omaha."

"I know…" Rory tried unsuccessfully to wipe away a tear before he saw that she was crying. "You probably need time to get over this so I'll go sleep in the guest room tonight."

"Ace stop I didn't even say that. Why would I need time?" Logan gently grabbed her shoulder so that she was facing him.

"You think he's telling the truth." Rory got out just before she started to sob. "You don't trust me anymore."

Logan would have laughed if she didn't look so damn pathetic standing there in her pajamas sobbing. "Ace you've got it all wrong. I was in Philadelphia. I hurt my hand punching Jess in the jaw which is why I flinched. I did it because I was tired of him using you that way for free publicity."

She looked and then his hand which did look swollen. "Do you think broke it?"

"Nah, but he probably hopes I did. We should probably let Jamie know that I might be wanted in Philadelphia though I do toss a couple of twenties on him before I left so that might shut him up." Logan smirked.

Rory stared at him for a second. She was so relieved to hear that he believed her. That he hadn't need a moment to breath. Suddenly though she was furious. She kissed him before punching him in the arm. "What the hell were you thinking? What if he had punched you in the face? You would have ruined Gigi's debutante ball pictures."

"I didn't actually plan on punching him in the face. I just wanted to shut him up. I also told him that if he brought you up again I would blacklist him. I don't know whether or not he believed me, but I do plan on it." Logan explained. "He just pushed me to the brink. He said he'd show you how a real man does it. I may have turned a leaf, but I'm still a big enough asshole to not be able to handle someone challenging my ego."

"Your so lucky he didn't punch you in the face." She whispered as she examined his hand. "Are you sure your hand isn't broken?"

"I'd do it again for you and I'm pretty sure. Surprisingly enough this isn't my first skirmish. Remember I did get into a knife fight that one time."

Rory snorted. "You threw twenties on him?"

"And told him to go fuck himself."

"Wow I didn't realize you were such a badass. I might change your nickname from MAC to Tony Soprano."

"I'd rather be Big Pussy."

"Yeah that one isn't going to happen. I'm not going to call the father of my unborn child Big Pussy."

Logan chuckled and pretended to pout. "I'll never take his word over yours Ace. You don't ever have to worry about that." He kissed her softly on the forehead. "Now let's go to bed because we have a really busy couple of days ahead of us."

Rory closed her eyes and snuggled up beside him. She laid there trying to decide whether or not the hormones were the reason behind her going so crazy. Suddenly she remembered Gigi's showdown with Sherry. "Gigi issued Sherry an ultimatum. Basically she said take the stick out of your ass or I'll take you back to the airport."

Logan opened one eye to see if she was kidding or not. "No way."

"Yeah she did and she told Keaton off in a bathroom today. You and Gigi were officially kicking ass and taking names today." Rory joked. "And apparently throwing twenties, you sound like rappers."

- - -

Sherry nervously sat in the lobby of the Hilton waiting for Gigi to pick her up. She was terrified at the prospect of getting stood up by her own daughter. She'd been fiddling with the hem of her Marc Jacobs dress when she saw Gigi walk into the hotel. She looked beautiful in the midnight blue cocktail dress that she would have sworn an Elizabeth and James. Her hair which yesterday had been pulled back was flowing and looked to have been curled. She looked glamorous to say the least. Sherry stood up an made her way over to Gigi. This time she didn't try to hug her. "You look lovely."

Gigi was surprised by the compliment until she remembered the ultimatum she had given her yesterday. She guessed Sherry really was on her best behavior. "Stephanie bought for me the last time she was in Miami."

"She has marvelous taste."

"Yes she does." Gigi agreed. "Shall we go?"

Once they were in the car Sherry sat there quietly trying to come up with some sort of neutral conversation. "So will there be a lot of people at Emily's?"

Gigi shrugged. "Depends on what you consider a lot. I expect it to be the usual 100 or so."

"And she's throwing this to celebrate your debut tomorrow?"

"Apparently, but part of me thinks it's just because they love to throw a party."

"They?"

"Yes both grandmothers are throwing it. Every party for as long as I can remember that they've thrown has been a joint production. Emily and Francine work best when they are working together." Gigi explained as she waited patiently for the light to turn. She grinned when she saw who was sitting at the light next to her. She rolled down the window. "What up bitch?"

Sherry looked at her daughter in disbelief. She couldn't believe the kind of language she used. Still she decided to look out the window because she knew Gigi wouldn't appreciate the look.

"Hey whore!" Fergie called as she turned down her radio. "I'm just headed to sushi with my stepmonster, but then Matt and I are headed over."

"Cool catch you later." She threw up the deuces before pulling out of the light. "That was a friend of mine from school."

"I should hope so. I would hope you didn't call strangers at lights bitch."

Gigi rolled her eyes and turned the radio up. She didn't even bother changing CDs. If Sherry didn't like Dirt Nasty and Mickey Avalon that was her problem.

"What was the name of that revolting song?" Sherry asked once it was finally over.

Gigi attempted to hide her grin. It really was fun torturing her, "My Dick."

"Excuse me?"

"The song is called My Dick. You may have heard them start nearly every sentence with that phrase."

"Do your father and Lorelai know you listen to such filth?"

Gigi nodded and laughed at the way Sherry said filth. "What can I say they allow me freedom to listen to whatever music I like. I'm sure you at some point in your life listened to music that was questionable."

"Not like that."

Gigi rolled her eyes and let out a sigh of relief when she pulled into the long drive that lead to the Gilmore residence. She parked her car in the special spot she always parked it. It seemed that the party had already started by the number of cars that lined the drive. She grinned when she saw that James as well as the rest of her friends were already there probably waiting for her. "Have fun. Grandmother said you could use one of our drivers when you ready to go."

"Where will you be?"

Gigi resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the tone Sherry used. "I'll be with my friends. Our paths more than likely won't cross." She grinned when Brigitte opened the door. "Ah Brigitte another trip to the Gilmore residence another chance to blow air kisses with you." She allowed the woman to take her coat before making her way into the party. She grinned when she found James, Audrey, Fallon, Sylvie, Rafe, and Ben in a corner talking amongst themselves.

"Ah the queen has arrived!" Audrey joked when Gigi joined them. "I've heard of arriving fashionably late, but Gigi jeez."

"Shut up I had to go pick up Sherry." Gigi explained. "Now James lets quickly make our way around so we can greet people and we'll join you guys in the pool house in like fifteen minutes. Cool?"

James quickly made his way into the crowd knowing that if he lost her it might take him all night to find her. "Where are they going?" He asked once he caught up to her.

"To start the sub-party of course," Gigi said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Don't they do that in your inner circle?" She asked once she realized that he hadn't heard of this concept before.

"At boring parties like this we always start a sub-party which is usually more fun. Logan and Rory and their friends actually introduced me to the concept."

"And nobody notices you're gone?"

"No they notice they just don't care. You haven't seen Rory or any of your friends have you?"

"No. I actually haven't." He admitted.

"That's because they are in grandfather's study. They'll be our last stop before we go to the pool house." Gigi told him just before they got to where Richard, Emily, and Francine were chatting with some of their friends from the country club. "Thank you so much for all of this. It's really too much." She gushed as she hugged them.

"Shush Gigi. None of that, there is no such thing as too much when it comes to you." Francine said as she hugged her.

"We've already stocked the pool house for you." Emily replied as she gave her a knowing look.

"Thank you." Gigi was just too lucky.

Richard kissed her gently on the top of her head. "Just make sure nobody drives."

"We will. Don't worry."

"And James please make sure she doesn't indulge too much because makeup can only cover up so much." Emily added to the young man.

James grinned and agreed to keep an eye on her intake.

Gigi hugged and thanked them all again before making her way around the room thanking all of the various people who had come.

- - -

"So you took the Huntzberger plane to Philadelphia last night to punch Jess in the face?" Paris questioned as she took a sip of her Cosmo. "I'm impressed Huntz."

"As am I though Rory is right that you're lucky he didn't punch you in the face." Stephanie could only imagine how furious Emily and Francine would have been had he showed up with a shiner. He most certainly would have been ushered upstairs where someone would have tried to cover it up with concealer.

"Let's just hope he doesn't press charges." Jamie added. "You all seem to forget that I practice white collar law."

"We don't forget we just have that much faith in you. Come on wouldn't it be fun to get into a courtroom?" Logan joked. "I bet you have a little Few Good Men in you."

Jamie rolled his eyes. At least once a month they all said that they might need his services. It used to be at least once a week when Finn and Anne Marie would call. "I have been in a court room and I'm not exactly looking to return." He said in reference to the time Anne Marie got arrested for public intoxication in New York City.

"But you got me out of it. You were brilliant mate." Anne Marie reminded him. "All I had to do was pay a small fee and everything went away."

"Because the judge was a friend of the family," he reminded her.

"That's not what matters mate," Finn stated. "What matters is that we believe in you."

"And thank you for that," Jamie said though he hoped that one of them never got into serious trouble. He could get them out of a lot of things, but assault might not be one of them. He gestured his beer bottle towards them as way of showing thanks.

"What don't you guys do?" Margot asked curiously.

"Our own manual labor," Colin joked. "And well none of us are dentists though I have faith that in a crunch Paris could figure something out."

"You could say we're a good group of friends to have if you want to be well connected." Finn remarked.

Lane nodded. "Being part of this crew did wonders of our careers. Before them Dave played in Barry Manillow's band."

"Hey I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Barry. He was a great boss." Dave defended. "Okay maybe being a rockstar was more fun though I trashed more hotels with Barry than I ever did during our touring days."

"You trashed hotels while touring with Barry? Who were you Tommy Lee?" Rory asked in a surprise.

Dave laughed and shrugged. "It's much easier to trash a hotel than you'd think. All it takes is a group of people and a lot of alcohol and next thing you know the couch is flipped over and the sheets have become clothing."

"I knew we should have learned to play instruments." Finn joked to Anne Marie as he slung his around her shoulders.

Margot watched all of this with rapt attention. "You are some of the most fascinating people I've ever met."

Stephanie laughed. "Well thank you we try. Aren't people this interesting at Columbia?"

Margot chuckled and shook her head, "No one I knew of. Sure there were parties, but not quite like yours. Rory has told me some stories. You guys are worth making a film about."

"There isn't an actress in Hollywood that could capture Paris' intensity and Colin's retentiveness." Rory pointed out.

"Don't forget my good looks. Rob Lowe was the last suitable actor, but he's far too old." Finn added.

"Still 80s Rob Lowe would have been perfect." Anne Marie agreed.

- - -

Lorelai grinned madly when she saw James and Gigi near. "You went with the blue one." She noted as motioned for her to do a little spin. "Stephanie did good," she decided.

"I thought so too." Gigi agreed. "Bored yet?"

Lorelai shot her a look. "I wouldn't be if all of you kids didn't go off and start your own parties. It isn't fair that we're too old to join." She pouted. "You look dapper James."

He looked down at the suit that Honor had picked out for him. "Thank you. Honor picked it."

"I had a feeling that was the case." Lorelai admitted.

"So where is she?" Gigi glanced around the room for Sherry.

Christopher shrugged. "I don't know we haven't seen her."

"Be warned that she might criticize you for some of my musical choices." Gigi grinned.

"Oh no," Lorelai said in mock horror, "Anything but that."

"I'm guessing you have a party to get to." Christopher noted. "Have fun sweetie. We'll see you in the morning."

"Remember," Lorelai started.

"To watch my intake," Gigi finished. "That's James' job this evening."

James nodded very seriously. "I'll make sure she doesn't look like the train wreck ball especially since we'll be on the front page of the Courant's society page."

"Please do," Lorelai encouraged. She sighed as she watched them leave. "Do you remember when we were the ones sneaking off to the pool house to enjoy a nip?"

"Yeah, but nobody was buying us champagne and making sure the bar was stocked," Christopher pointed out. "God our kids have it great."

"That they do. That they do." Lorelai remarked as she took a sip of her gin and tonic.

- - -

Gigi grinned when she opened the door to the study and found Finn in the middle of reenacting "The Passion of the Christ". She always appreciated his reenactment. It was disturbing, but funny nonetheless.

"Is he doing what I think he's doing?" James whispered in shock and awe.

"Yes, yes he is." Gigi confirmed.

Finn broke character when he saw Gigi and James watching. "Well if it isn't the woman of the evening and her charming escort!" He cheered.

Gigi did a bit of a bow.

"Oh you look amazing in that dress," Stephanie rushed towards her to make sure that it felt as well as it looked like it did. "I'm so fucking good." She announced when she decided that it did. "Is this Ralph Lauren?" She asked James as she examined his suit.

"It is."

"I knew it. Honor loves Ralph." Stephanie told him. "It looks very good on you. Have you ever thought about modeling?"

"Steph please don't proposition my date during a party. We just wanted to come to say hey." Gigi told her.

"Congratulations on telling Keaton off!" Anne Marie said as she held her drink up the air. "I wish there had been video."

Gigi blushed. "It was nothing."

"That's not what we've heard." Paris replied. "It was supposedly quite the showdown."

Gigi laughed. "We are going to go now. You all look lovely. Enjoy the party. I'll see you guys tomorrow when I walk down the stairs. Try not to be too amazed by my beauty." She joked before waving goodbye. "And finally we're headed to our actual party. Prepared to have your mind blown," Gigi told James as she linked arms with him and they made their way to the pool house.

James wasn't sure what to expect when Gigi opened the door to the pool house, but was definitely surprised when he found rap music blaring and people drinking and dancing on nearly every surface. He couldn't believe that not only did all of the adults in the main house know what was going on, but they seemed okay with it. "Why do I recognize this place?"

"Oh you know every pool house probably looks the same." Gigi replied casually though she knew full well why he recognized it. Still she was going to let him figure it out for himself. She smiled and took the flute of champagne that Audrey was handing her. "Where's Daniel?"

"His commanding officers aren't letting him leave until tomorrow afternoon. Supposedly he has some sort of test or something at noon. Still he assured Fallon he'd be back in time." Audrey explained.

"Oh god let's hope so." Gigi could only imagine the chaos that would cause.

James was trying to think of where he knew this place from when suddenly "Totally Dude" started pouring out of the speakers. Suddenly he knew where he recognized this place from. "You guys are behind the videos aren't you?"

Ben laughed. "Oh I fucking knew I thought this place was familiar. You guys are the ones who make your own party videos for rap songs."

Gigi, Audrey, Fallon, and Sylvie all shared a knowing look and then nodded.

"It started out as a joke and then suddenly we were famous on YouTube. You can't tell anyone though. We don't need it getting out and keeping us from our perspective universities." Sylvie explained.

James scoffed. "The only thing that could keep you out would be a rape charge or maybe even a murder rap."

"And then somehow I still think you could get in." Ben added.

"Still I'm impressed." James admitted. Sela had been the one to introduce him to the videos. The first one he saw was to the tune of Party like a Rockstar. Soon he was subscribing and waiting for them to update.

"Thanks. Maybe you can star in the next one. We're shooting it tonight." She said as she pointed to Matt who was walking around with a video camera in one hand and a beer in the other.

"What's the song?" James asked curiously.

"No idea. Matt'll watch the footage and decide. It's always a surprise to all of us. He's using them as part of his portfolio to film school." She laughed as a group of girls started doing the tootsie roll on top of a table. "Make sure they know there's going to be bars over their eyes and suddenly it looks like the makings of a rap video."

Fergie suddenly crossed the room and joined them. "God no wonder the rest of the world hates us. We look like the cast of Gossip Girl."

"Except hotter much much hotter." Fallon joked.

- - -

Lorelai sighed and thanked Brigitte as she helped her into her coat. "Call me next week and I'll make sure to drop off that dress for you." She assured the housekeeper. Brigitte had a hot date with one of the caterer's servers. He was hot and Brazilian. She air kissed Brigitte and then opened the door and started to make her way out. She groaned when she heard someone call her name. She turned around and saw Sherry rushing towards her. "I'd rather not do this right now. We're actually headed home for the evening. And yes we do know that Gigi curses and listens to music with curse words in it. She's a big girl Sherry. So if you'll excuse us." She grabbed Christopher's arm and started to make her way towards the car. She groaned when she heard her following them.

"I've looked all over this party for Gigi and I haven't found her. Do you know where she is?" Sherry asked not willing to be walked away from.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "She's fine. She's with her friends. They're having their own mini get together in the pool house. Don't go out there."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because she'll hate you even more than she already does." Lorelai whispered.

Sherry frowned. "She doesn't hate me."

"Tell yourself what you will so that you can sleep easier at night. Anyway just stay away from there. They're fine and are responsible enough to take care of themselves. They know if they need somebody that they can call Rory or Logan."

"You do realize I'm her actual mother right?"

"No Sherry your not. You're the woman who gave birth to her, complained that she didn't follow your schedule because god forbid the baby come before you planned your C-section, and eventually hit the road because you got a job offer you couldn't refuse. I'm her mother whether you like it or not. I'm the one who bought her first bra. I'm the one who helped her with her makeup for her first date. Hell I'm the one who bought her her first box of tampons. Rory's been more of a mother to that child than you have. Now I'm tired and I really don't feel like having it out right here and now. You really aren't worth my time. I know your jealous of me, but please get over it." Lorelai knew she sounded like a bitch, but didn't care. "He's my husband. She's my daughter. This is my life. Like I said I'll see you tomorrow at the ball. If you know what's best for you, you'll go back to the hotel and get your beauty sleep because God knows you need it." She smirked before hopping into the BMW beside Christopher and waving goodbye.

Sherry stood there speechless. She turned around and started to make her way to the pool house, but thought twice and instead went inside and had the maid fetch her a car to take her back to the hotel.

- - -

James groaned as he helped Gigi up the long winding staircase to her bedroom. Somehow she'd managed to drink more than he thought she did. He hadn't realized she was drunk until she was standing on the couch pop, locking, and dropping it with Sylvie. He laid her down on her bed and wondered whether or not he should change her into something more comfortable than the dress. Finally he decided that it was harmless enough. He went into her drawers and sighed when he found an oversized t-shirt. He slowly unzipped her dress and was shocked when he found that all she was wearing underneath was a thong. He clamped his eyes shut and quickly pulled the shirt over her head. All the while he couldn't help but thing she had an amazing pair of breasts. He got her under the covers and softly kissed her forehead before making the move to leave. He was surprised though when her eyes opened and she whispered for him not to go. She patted the empty side of the bed and told him to climb in. He looked at the side of the bed and realized that he was tired and the walk to Honor's was longer than he thought it was going to be. He dropped his pants and removed his shirt before climbing into bed wearing nothing, but his boxer briefs and wife beater. He climbed into bed beside her and willed his groin not to do anything that would embarrass him. He let out a contented sigh when he felt her snuggle up beside him even though his heart was beating out of control. Being intimate was definitely a scary thing.

- - -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS WAS ONE OF THE LONGEST CHAPTERS I'VE EVER WRITTEN, BUT BOY AM I HAPPY HOW IT TURNED OUT. THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING FOR EVERYONE SO I HOPE PEOPLE RESPOND WITH THEIR USUAL GREAT AND ENCOURARING REVIEWS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ ALL OF THIS. YOU GUYS ARE LIKE THE BEST FOR SURE. I LOVE YA'LL. - KRISTINE. **


	20. Belle of the Ball

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I AM VERY DEPRESSED BECAUSE I'M PRETTY SURE THIS IS MY SECOND TO LAST CHAPTER AND THAT SUCKS. I REALLY LIKED THIS STORY. AN AMAZING REVIEWER ASKED WHAT I HAD PLANNED WHEN I FINISHED THIS AND THE ANSWER IS I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF IDEAS I'M JUST NOT SURE HOW ORIGINAL OR EXICTING THEY ARE SO I'VE REALLY GOT NO CLUE. HAHA. I'M REALLY GOING TO MISS THIS STORY WHEN IT'S DONE. I'VE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH GIGI AND JAMES MAYBE BECAUSE I CREATED GIGI AND JAMES. HAHA. ANYWAY I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS CHAPTER. THANKS FOR TUNING BACK IN. **

**RATING: PG-13 IF ONLY FOR LANGUAGE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE MAJORITY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY, BUT I DO OWN A FEW THAT PEOPLE LOVE LIKE THE FABULOUS ANNE MARIE. BUT IF I DID OWN GILMORE GIRLS SHE WOULD HAVE SO SAID YES. **

**CHAPTER TWENTY: BELLE OF THE BALL**

- - -

Gigi felt like shit. She didn't even want to open her eyes knowing just how painful it was going to be. Her throat was raw. Her eyes were dry. She'd had too much to drink. She cracked an eye open when she heard her bedroom door open. The last thing she needed right now was for her Mom to come in and cheerfully wake her up and discover that she might actually still be drunk. She was shocked and relieved when she found James standing there in a fresh pair of jeans and a Red Sox t-shirt. He looked like he felt good and for that reason alone she hated him right now.

"Morning," James whispered as he bent down beside her bed. He held up a brown bag and a coffee. "I thought you might need these."

"I think I might still be drunk." She admitted as she allowed him to help her sit up. She smiled when she opened the bag and found a very greasy looking breakfast taquito. "How'd you know?" She asked before taking a big bite.

"Sela suggested that I bring you something to help with the hangover. She's an expert on getting sober quickly. I'm sorry I let you get smashed. I thought I was watching you and next thing I know I found you pop, locking, and dropping it on a couch with Sylvie." James told her lightly. He stifled a laugh at the way her cheeks reddened when she found out how he realized she was shitfaced.

"I should have warned you. I'm pretty crafty at sneaking drinks. Finn and Anne Marie taught me all of their tricks." Gigi admitted. This wasn't the first time someone had been put in charge of making sure she stayed sober and somehow she managed to get plastered.

"Well maybe after a shower you'll feel better because we've got a long and busy day ahead of us. We've got to meet with the Courant reporter. You've got your hair and makeup appointment. We've got pictures before the ball tonight and then we have to be at the club early for the actual ball. There really isn't time for you to look or act like you've just spent a night in Vegas."

"Can I ask you an embarrassing question?"

"Nothing happened last night Gigi. You asked me to stay over and I did, but nothing happened. Okay we spooned, but nothing mortifying happened." James assured her.

Gigi sighed in relief. She couldn't imagine losing her virginity and not being able to remember it. "You're my knight in shining armor." She murmured before squeezing his hand. "I'd kiss you, but I probably have horrible morning breath right now."

James laughed. "You Chilton kids really know how to party."

"Yeah I've heard that before. Was Sylvie wasted too last night?"

"Uh well she was pop, locking, and dropping it with you on the couch so I'd say probably. She was a little more sober than you, but not much." James had helped Ben get her into one of the waiting town cars. It had been kind of funny only because Ben said it was sad that high school kids partied harder than he did at college.

Gigi groaned as she grabbed her cell phone off of the table where it seemed that James had put it on the charger for her. Somehow she had twelve text messages. Seven of them were complimenting her on the party the night before. _Duh._ One was from Audrey saying Matt decided the song for this video was going to be Framing Hanley's version of Lollipop. _Awesome._ Another from Fallon asking if she should have her sister's boyfriend rent a tux just in case Daniel couldn't make it. _No way that'd be such bad juju plus her sister's boyfriend was totally strange. _Then there was two part text from Finn detailing the ingredients to his hangover cure, a potent concoction that always worked for him. _I don't know if we have lemon juice in the fridge or not._ The final text was short and sweet and it was from Sylvie and all it said was I think I had a Chuck and Blair moment with Ben in the back of the limo. _No fucking way. _She quickly replied to Sylvie's text asking what kind of Chuck and Blair moment before finally getting the energy to get out of bed and look at herself in the mirror. "I hope Manuela can work miracles today."

James laughed and walked up behind her. "You really don't look that hungover. You may feel it, but you don't look it."

"You're very sweet, but full of shit." She joked as she pulled her hair up into a loose bun. "I'm going to hop into the shower let me know the second Sylvie texts me back please." She blew him an air kiss before disappearing into her bathroom.

James sat down on her bed and turned on the television. He hadn't gotten a chance to watch last nights game, but was excited to see the replay. Conner had said it was a good one. He grabbed Gigi's phone off of the nightstand and flipped it open to see if it was Sylvie who had texted her. When he saw that it was he opened the text and read it carefully before getting off the bed and knocking lightly on the bathroom door. He waited for her to call him in and then he sat down on the toilet. He wasn't sure what Sylvie meant, but he figured that Gigi would. "She said she's 99% it was Chuck and Blair all over again."

"Text her back and ask her if she talked to him about it." Gigi instructed as she washed the soap off of her face. While Sylvie was more advanced than Gigi in that area she certainly wasn't the kind girl to have escapades in the back of limo. It didn't help that if they did do the deed then their first time as a couple would be better described as raunchy.

Ben sat there waiting patiently for Sylvie to text back. He briefly considered asking her to explain what Sylvie was discussing, but decided against it knowing that is she wanted him to know she'd tell him. He flipped the phone open when it lit up. "She said she would later when she figured out the best way to word the question."

"Damn. Okay. Thanks. I should be out in like five minutes okay?" Gigi had felt awkward just alluding to them doing the deed and if it had happened it would have at least been in her own bed. She wasn't sure how Sylvie was going to ask Ben if they'd gotten it on in the backseat of a limo. That'd be an interesting one.

- - -

Logan sighed as he walked into the bedroom and heard Rory throwing up in the bathroom. He slowly opened the door and sat down beside her on the bathroom floor. Her morning sickness had been worse than usual the last couple of days. He pulled her hair back and gently rubbed her back. Once she was done he handed her a towel and then allowed her to rest her head on his lap. He ran his fingers threw her hair. "You want me to go get you some crackers?"

"No what I want is a cup of regular coffee and for this morning sickness to go away." Rory was excited to be a mother, but was having a hard time with the side effects of pregnancy. She found herself throwing up at least once a day and the lack of caffeine was making it hard for her to cope at work.

"I know Ace. I know."

Rory sighed and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry to be so whiny."

"You aren't."

"Yes I am. I cried and moaned for months because I couldn't get pregnant and now that I am I'm complaining about the things that come with pregnancy. I don't know what has gotten into me. I guess I'm just tired is all."

"Well then how about you brush your teeth and then we get back into bed for a little while longer. The ball isn't for hours and I know you are ahead of all of your deadlines." Logan suggested as he slowly helped her too her feet.

"Okay."

"Good. If you want we can play scrabble. Scrabble always makes you feel better."

Rory smiled at him appreciatively before squeezing his hand. "Thank you Logan."

"No problem Ace. If I could I would be willing to be the one to have to deal with morning sickness. I would take that burden from you."

Rory laughed because she knew he wasn't bullshitting her. It may sound odd, but one of the things she always associated with Logan was his ability to throw up as though it was just as normal as peeing. During their college days she often mused that there wasn't a day when either him, Finn, or Colin didn't christen a bush or even once a stranger's trash can. "I know and that's one of the many reasons I love you." She said as she put toothpaste on her toothbrush.

"I better go write that in my diary. I told the others you didn't marry me for my body." He joked as he left her and went to retrieve Scrabble and the dictionary from her office.

- - -

Gigi plastered her brightest smile on her face as they walked into the kitschy little restaurant the reporter had invited them to for the interview portion of the story. She knew she didn't exactly look her best. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was wearing a Red Sox as well as a matching Pedroia t-shirt and a pair of jeans. She figured if anything the reporter would deem it as yet another reason why her and James made an adorable couple.

"Ms. Hayden and Mr. Bradshaw thank you for taking time out to meet me here. I know the two of you probably have a hundred things going on right now." Kelly replied as she shook each of their hands.

"Please call us Gigi and James and it's really no problem. Even debs have to eat." Gigi joked as she removed her sunglasses and hoped that the quick makeup she applied in the car was good enough to keep her from looking like she felt.

"That they do." Kelly agreed as she pulled out her tape recorder. "So this is a really basic interview that will basically just be used to fluff the piece about your debutante ball. We'll start with an easy question. How long have you two been together?"

"To be honest three weeks," Gigi answered.

"But we've actually known each other since we were kids." James added knowing that little tidbit of information would go a long way with a reporter like Kelly. "We kind of fell out of touch until recently."

"Really?" Kelly asked intrigued. "Why?"

"Well James goes to Deerfield and I as you probably already know go to Chilton. We sort of run in different circles, but I recently found myself in need of an escort to the ball and thanks to my brother in law Logan and his sister in law Honor we were reconnected." Gigi explained. She knew that when their close family and friends read the article they would be impressed by their revisionist history.

"Well that is so romantic." Kelly hadn't expected for their story to be all that interesting. Most debs were dreadfully boring in her opinion. It had been her experience that they were usually snobby, spoiled princesses who would get Ivy League educations that they wouldn't actual use. Gigi Hayden seemed to be different though. "So Gigi what does being a debutante mean to you?"

"I think it's just a great experience. Some people think of it as archaic, but I think those people really don't take the time to understand the process. It's not the mating ritual it used to be, but it still to me at least means something. I love the tradition it represents. Sometimes it's a little stressful and tiring, but it really is a great privilege. And I mean all of that in the least cliché way as possible."

"Now is the Daughters of the American Revolution the only ball you are attending this year? I've heard of girls debuting as many as six times in one season."

"Yeah no this is the only time I'm going to debut this year. I honestly don't understand why you would debut more than once. I don't think I could tolerate all of that stress especially with my heavy workload. Despite what people think debutantes aren't prissy morons." Gigi could remember the first time someone basically called her stupid to her face all because she was Georgia Hayden. They didn't realize how intelligent she was or how hard she worked to stay at the top of her class. While she may have her foot in more doors in this town it wasn't as though she could sleep her way through life.

"Okay now Gigi your dress was made by?"

"It's a Stephanie McRae original. She started designing it for me nearly a year ago." Gigi had saved the first drafts of the dress for the scrapbook that Emily and Francine would surely create. In the beginning it had been poofier and simpler. It was so much different than the one she'd be wearing tonight.

"And your tuxedo?"

"It's a custom made Ralph Lauren." James had been amazed at how quickly Honor had gotten it made for him.

"Sounds very exclusive," Kelly summed up. She couldn't imagine designers as famous as Ralph and Stephanie to whip her something up. She flipped through her small notebook of questions to make sure that she had covered everything. "Hardest part about being a deb and then the hardest part of being an escort?"

Gigi grinned. "Definitely just all of the things you have to do. You have to take pictures, get dance lessons, have your done, and learn all of these obscure things. I don't know it's a lot to do for one night. We've been to a luncheon, garden party, and waltz lessons in the matter of the last three weeks."

"It must be a lot for you James seeing as you must drive to Hartford from Deerfield." Kelly couldn't imagine a guy doing all of that for her. Her college boyfriend Mike had complained about taking the subway from Queens to Brooklyn.

"She's worth it." James said simply. "Still I agree about all of the things you have to do being the hardest part. Debs definitely have it harder than escorts. I know girls at Deerfield who went on extreme diets just to make sure they looked good."

Kelly had been worried that Gig would be one of those girls. It seemed as though her and her friends were some of the only girls who seemed casual about this whole thing. "I think that's everything. We're going to run the story with a picture of the two of you at the ball. Thank you for coming here. I look forward to seeing you in your custom made duds."

Gigi smiled and stood up to give Kelly a small hug. "Thank you for choosing us. You've really delighted our families. I know this isn't the most exciting article for you, but it really will have a lot of readers Sunday morning."

"Seriously?" Kelly asked. She couldn't imagine that many people reading a piece this fluffy.

James nodded in confirmation as he slung his arm around Gigi's petite shoulders. "I guarantee it. My sister-in-law's family is in the newspaper business, but she's not a fan of them. She prefers magazines. Still she is planning on buying at least a couple dozen issues of tomorrow's paper so she can send them to her various friends all so they can also read the article."

"Well hot damn."

"Hot damn indeed." Gigi agreed.

- - -

"I can not believe you told Sherry off." Emily told her daughter the moment Lorelai appeared in the doorway to her bedroom. Brigitte had pulled her aside that evening and told her what she had witnessed. Suffice to say Emily was impressed.

"I'm sorry Mom. She provoked me." Lorelai hadn't meant to snap at Sherry like that, but she hadn't been able to control herself.

"No need to apologize Lorelai. Francine and I were really quite proud of you."

Lorelai shot her mother a perplexed look. She hadn't expected that reaction. She'd thought it would be more like Lorelai must you behave so crassly when my friends are in ear shot.

"The nerve of that woman to speak to you that way," Emily huffed. "Brigitte told us everything. She deserved to be told off."

"Did you actually say he's my husband, she's my daughter, and it's my life?" Francine asked as she emerged from Emily's closet. "If so that was brilliant. I know where Rory gets her writing talent from."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "You guys are out of control. You really amaze me sometimes. I didn't even know Brigitte could hear or see us. She's crafty that Brigitte."

"She's the best housekeeper you've ever hired Emily." If Francine hadn't loved Emily so much she would have stolen Brigitte from here.

Emily nodded. "Yes, yes she is which is why she's stuck around for so long." She glanced at Lorelai who was still wearing a set of Juicy Couture sweats. "What are you wearing tonight?"

"This amazing Stella McCartney number I bought in Cyprus when Christopher and I went there for our honeymoon. It's an intricate shade of grey. You'll actually like what I'm wearing for once." Lorelai joked. "We may want to make sure that we don't allow Sherry to have any sharp objects though. God knows I don't want her to cut me or anything."

- - -

James sighed as he pulled his car up to the curb in front of the exclusive salon where Gigi got her hair done. He kissed her softly on the cheek. "Have fun. I'll see you at the ball. I'll be the one wearing the tuxedo."

"Oh I'll make sure to keep my out for you." She joked as she opened the door. She started to get out of the car, but stopped. She turned to look at him. "Thank you for everything James. You really are the best. You totally saved the day today."

"Don't mention it."

She leaned across the car and kissed him. She couldn't help but noticed that he tasted like orange tic-tacs instead of his usual Dentyne ice. "I'll be the one in the white dress." She said before getting out of the car and blowing him a kiss. She laughed when Manuela saw her and then exclaimed "Oh lord child I guess today is a day for miracles! Champagne goes down heavenly, but makes you look like hell."

- - -

Christopher groaned when he looked through his front doors peephole and saw Sherry standing on the other side of the door. He didn't really feel like dealing with her. He instantly regretted not joining Lorelai at her mother's. At least there he could have talked about golf and the stock market with Richard. "Yes Sherry?"

"Hi. Is this a bad time?" Sherry asked as she toyed with the right strap of her dress.

He resisted the urge to say I doubt there'd ever be a good time and instead shrugged and ushered her into the house. "How did you get here?"

"I called a cab."

He nodded as he sat down at his desk and motioned for her to sit down in one of the many chairs that faced it.

"You've remodeled since the last time I was here." Sherry glanced around the room and noticed that the walls were lighter than they'd been last time.

Christopher nodded. "Lorelai said it was too dark in here. It was all her doing."

"Speaking of Lorelai, where is she?"

"Her mothers, they always get ready together." Christopher looked out the window before looking back at her. "What are you doing here Sherry?"

"I wanted to apologize."

"About?"

"Leaving."

"It's a little late for that and honestly I think it worked out for the better."

"Still I'm sorry Christopher."

Christopher sighed. "Sherry you should be sorry about a lot of things. You should be sorry for the way you spoke to my wife. You should be sorry for the way you treat our child. You should be sorry for questioning our parenting abilities. You really don't have to be sorry about leaving anymore."

"Is it true you had to convince Gigi to allow me to come?"

"Well it's not as if you two have the best relationship."

"I never meant for things to get like this. I was excited to be a Mom. I don't know."

"You've got to realize that Gigi is her own person. She's this really amazing, talented, funny, beautiful, creative girl. She's at the top of her class at Chilton. She's a shoe in for Yale. And she's never been happier than she has been since meeting James. You always want to change her and make her who you want her to be and that doesn't work. Lorelai has always just accepted Gigi and so have I. That's the first step towards the two of you building an even civil relationship." He explained quietly. He'd thought long and hard about what he would say to Sherry when this day came. All of the words he'd come up with went out the window when the moment actually came.

Sherry smiled weakly. "You've done a marvelous job with her and I mean that."

"It's really all been Lorelai. I was a wreck before she saved us. She swooped in and we never looked back. You really shouldn't be so jealous of her."

"I am not jealous of Lorelai."

"Yes you are. You always have been. Even before you actually really got to know her."

"Well it was hard to live up to her memory."

"I know and that wasn't fair to you. Still that was my bad. Not hers. So stop taking it out on her. This little war of yours is a waste of time. She'll win Sherry. You won't be able to beat her. Now while this has been a surprisingly decent chat I better call you a cab and then show you to the door. I've to get upstairs and get dressed."

- - -

Honor smiled when James walked out of the backroom where all of the escorts were waiting. His tie hung loosely around his neck. She waved so that he could find her. "Having a bit of trouble with your tie are we?"

"I hate these things."

Honor laughed as she fixed it for him quickly. She'd gotten a lot of practice over the years between Logan, Josh, and James. "You look dashing James."

"Thanks Honor."

"And everything fits properly right?"

He nodded.

"Good. I'm really happy you decided to do this."

"So am I."

She looked him up and down and realized just how grown he was. For all intents and purposes he was basically a man. When did that happen? "God I can't believe how quickly you're growing up. It seems like just the other day I was taller than you."

"That was more like five years ago." He joked.

"Shut up. I'm not that short."

"You're pretty short Honor. It was pretty hard to find you in the crowd."

"I'll remember that next time you need a favor."

"Did I say you were short? I mean you were perfectly petite."

"That's better."

"Well I better get backstage. Thank you for tying my tie."

"It was my pleasure." She motioned for him to lean down so that she could kiss him on the cheek. "I love you James."

"I love you too Honor. You're the best sister-in-law a guy could ask for you."

"You're not a bad brother-in-law yourself. Remember to show some teeth when you take the picture. You've got such lovely teeth."

He rolled his eyes and agreed before ducking back to where all of the other escorts were waiting.

"You've done a great job with him." Josh said once Honor returned to their assigned seats. "He really seems happy lately."

"He does, doesn't he?" Honor hadn't realized until now just how much happier he did look. She hadn't seen him like this in ages.

- - -

Gigi sat down at her mirror and checked out Manuela's handiwork. She'd really done wonders. Gigi didn't even look the least bit hungover. In fact some may have described her look as rested. She fixed her straps before walking over to where her friends were huddled. "Manuela is the 21st century version of the miracle worker."

"It seems all of our respective stylists had their work cut out for them today." Audrey remarked as she took a sip of her orange juice. "Esteban was barking orders the moment he laid eyes on me."

"Well he did a wonderful job." Gigi assured her. "You really look flawless. Has Daniel arrived?"

Fallon grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "He arrived about twenty minutes ago. He is going to look so handsome in his dress uniform."

"God I can not wait for this to be over." Sylvie drawled as she inspected her perfectly manicured fingernails. "I swear all of this hooplah just so that a group full of people can ooh and awe or worse gag at the mere sight of us."

"You are so right." Gigi agreed as she grabbed herself a flute of orange juice. "So have you asked him yet?"

Sylvie blushed. She knew she shouldn't have said anything to her friends.

"You did!" Fallon exclaimed in a hushed whisper. When she'd read the text message this morning she'd thought it was a hoax and to be honest she still thought it was a hoax until of course this reaction from Sylvie. She wasn't that good of an actor.

"Lower your voice!" Sylvie hissed as she saw a few girls glance at them. "And yes it happened. I somehow managed to drink enough that I thought having sex with Ben in the back of a limo was the perfect way for our first time to go. Apparently I pushed the issue. He tried to resist, but well you know how persistent I can be."

"Sylvie's a slut." Audrey joked.

"And Audrey's a bitch." Sylvie shot back.

Gigi took a small sip of her juice. "It could be worse."

"How in the world could it be worse?"

Gigi smirked. "You could have also done a striptease in front of a bar full of people. And at least Ben isn't nearly as nasty as Chuck Bass."

"Well gee thanks." Sylvie rolled her eyes. "If you bring it up in front of him I swear I'll kill you, all of you."

"Ladies please finish up with your final preparations. You will be lining up in five minutes. I repeat five minutes." Cornelia-Landry Sanford instructed the room full of girls as she sized them up.

"Its show time sluts," Fergie joked as she made her way over to her mirror to touch up her makeup for the last time.

- - -

Rory glanced at the stairs in anticipation. She could tell by the way everyone was shifting around that the festivities were about to begin. She placed her hand on Logan's knee and squeezed it gently.

"Nervous?" He smirked at her as he placed his hand on top of hers.

"More like anxious," Rory replied. "I can't wait to see her come down those stairs."

"I can't either." Logan admitted. "And that in itself makes me feel very old."

- - -

"Georgia Winifred Hayden is the daughter of Christopher and Lorelai Hayden. A top student at Chilton she plans on following in her older sister Rory's footsteps and attending Yale. She is escorted this evening by James Nathaniel Bradshaw the son of Joshua and Candace Bradshaw. Ladies and gentleman Georgia Winifred Hayden," Winston McLaughlin trilled.

Gigi curtsied as James bowed and then save for the dance they were done. She winked at her mother and father who looked so proud. She ignored the scowl on Sherry's face. It seemed she didn't like the introduction. And finally she did her best not to laugh at Finn who was making faces at her. She also caught the look on Honor's face which looked eerily like the one on her grandmothers. She had a feeling they were already planning weddings. Once they were out of the way she squeezed James' hand. "Thank you for this."

- - -

"And here she is the belle of the ball!" Finn exclaimed as Gigi and James finally joined them at their table.

Gigi threw her hands up as if to say tada.

"So Gigi how does it feel to have debuted?" Stephanie asked as she nibbled on a piece of lettuce.

Gigi laughed and rolled her eyes. "It feels nice to be done, very nice."

"You two were definitely the best looking if I do say so myself." Emily assured them.

"Definitely," Francine seconded.

"Enough about me and the ball," Gigi said. "Let's talk about something else. Surely someone at this table has something worthwhile to tell everyone about." She glanced at Rory who was quietly sipping her glass of water.

Rory sighed and smiled. She looked at Logan before clearing her throat. "Logan and I have something to tell everyone actually." She took a deep breath. "We're expecting. We're going to be parents."

Sherry blanched as the table went crazy. There were squeals and hugs and kisses. There were accusations of them knowing something was up. It was all just a tad too much for her. And on top of that Margot seemed to be fitting in just so well. She stifled a gag as she took a sip of her wine.

"How long have you known?" Lane had a feeling that this was news the two had been holding on to for a while.

"A couple of weeks ago after Friday night dinner actually," Rory smiled.

"We didn't want to take away from the ball." Logan added.

"Finally we won't be the only ones with a little one to think about." Anne Marie was tired of being the only parents.

"Yet somehow the only parents have the most active social life." Stephanie remarked.

"I think this calls for a toast," Richard replied as he stood. "To Rory and Logan may parenthood somehow bring you ever closer if that is even possible. And to Gigi and James may this night be just the first of many events for the two of you. And to everyone else may the food be good, the wine fine, and the company delightful!"

Rory gently kissed Logan on the cheek. "I love you so much."

"I love you more."

"Impossible."

"Best night ever." Gigi concluded. She stood up. "I'd like to thank everyone from coming here tonight. I know these events aren't always exactly scintillating, but you still came. All of you have done something big for me to make this worthwhile. You've found me possible escorts. You've designed the perfect dress. You've helped me get dress. You've sobered me up. You've thrown me parties. You've tutored me in French. You've given me advice. You've done it all. You've made this night everything it was supposed to be. I love you all very much. So thank you and I look forward to the blowout that will be Rory's baby shower."

- - -

James watched Gigi spin around in her beautiful white dress. Her hair was falling. Her expensive heels were in her hand. She looked like she was in her own world. "Come on over here and join me." He called as he patted the soft patch of grass beside him.

Gigi skipped over to where he was and carefully joined him. His tie was undone. The top two buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned. His hair was more mussed than usual. To put it mildly he was more devilishly handsome than usual. She watched him as he just sat there deep in thought. She rested her head on his shoulder. "What are you thinking about?"

"How much better my life is now that you're in it." James whispered into her hair. "You know before I met you I was just fine settling for Pamela and all of that other stuff, but now."

"Now you know how good you could have it you never want to let me go."

"Exactly."

"I feel the same way. Where do we go from here?"

"Well I was thinking that maybe if you weren't busy next weekend you might want to come up to Deerfield for the day on Saturday and meet Sela and Conner."

"I'd love to."

"Good because Conner thinks I'm bullshitting about you. He swears you can't be as perfect as I say you are."

"I'm not perfect."

"No you're not are you."

She looked up at him in shock.

"Well you did admit to be a fan of Karen and Jim which is wrong on so many levels."

"Pam was driving me crazy. I'll admit it wasn't my proudest moment."

"But other than that indiscretion I'd say you pretty damn remarkable."

"You're not a slouch either."

"I say you're pretty damn remarkable and you tell me I'm not a slouch?" James asked in mock dismay.

"Well you did just tell me to my face that I wasn't perfect." She joked. "I guess I'll admit that you're pretty amazing too."

James grinned.

"Thank you."

"For?"

"All of this. For not making my debutante ball suck. For putting up with all of the craziness. For thinking I was worth all of this bullshit. Just for everything."

"You are worth it Gigi. I look forward to dealing with more so called bullshit in the future."

"So want to know a secret?"

"Mmm."

"I think I could maybe possibly one day love you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

James nodded for a minute before smiling. "I think I already do." And then he kissed her right there on the sixteenth hole at the country club.

- - -

Logan kissed her shoulder tenderly before slowly getting out of bed and making his way downstairs. He opened the front door like usual and grabbed the papers that were waiting for him. He went into the kitchen and brewed a pot of decaf. Rory was almost starting to come around to it. He tucked the papers under his arm and then just like every morning he carried everything upstairs. He was surprised though when he found her sitting up in bed waiting for him. "This is different."

"I can't wait to see the Courant spread." She admitted as she grabbed the papers from him. She opened the Courant up to the Society pages quickly and began to read the article out loud. "Georgia Hayden whom I've learned prefers to be called Gigi is not at all what I expected her to be. An intelligent, confident, and hilarious young woman she looks the part, but doesn't act it. Her escort James also looks the part, but something tells me he isn't just your typical boy with a Black card. After speaking to them I'd learn that James is the captain of the golf team at Deerfield Academy. He comes from a long line of architects and is at the top of his class at Deerfield. Gigi is the sister of Rory Huntzberger which I think speaks volumes of the kind of girl she is. Neither of them were pretentious or boring, two things I was expecting. And though they've just gotten reacquainted recently you wouldn't now it. As far as the dress Gigi's was an elegant and gorgeous Stephanie McRae original that I've been told only a girl like Gigi could have pulled off. James wore a custom made Ralph Lauren tuxedo that made him look as though he had just left a shoot. It was a magical night and they were a magical couple. Before leaving the dinner Gigi assured me that this was going to be the piece that put me on the map hopefully she's right. Even if she's not it's a prediction that in a short time I've realized is a Gigi Hayden original." Rory smiled and dabbed at her eyes when she finished the article. "That was brilliant. She really captured James and Gigi."

"You're hormonal." Logan pointed out. "It was pretty good though."

"Far better than they typically are."

"You're right about that. I can remember a few years ago reading one and you could feel the reporters disdain."

"She looked really happy. Didn't' she?" Rory smiled at a candid picture of James and Gigi. They were dancing and whatever James had said you could tell that Gigi was trying not to laugh.

"That she did."

"I'm so glad we found James for her."

"I know who would have thought when she showed up on our doorstep with raccoon eyes it'd actually end up being a good thing."

"God it's been a crazy three weeks." Rory felt overwhelmed just thinking about everything that had happened.

"That it has."

"We're going to be parents."

"I know and now so does everyone else."

Rory looked up at Logan. "I never thought it would happen. I just knew that we couldn't be that lucky. We had too much success and happiness. I was sure that we wouldn't be given this one thing as a result of our good fortune."

"You worry too much Ace."

"Well someone has to worry for the both of us."

Logan smirked and rolled his eyes. "Are you happy Ace?"

"You know I am."

"Good," he murmured before kissing her softly on the lips. "So am I." He leaned down and softly pulled up her shirt. He brushed his lips against her still flat stomach. "And I can't wait to meet you and put you through what Gigi and James went through."

"Minus the whole messy breakup three weeks before thing," Rory added for him. "That'd be horrible juju."

- - -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS WAS TECHNICALLY THE LAST CHAPTER. THERE IS GOING TO BE ONE MORE IF YA'LL WANT IT. IT'D BE AN EPILOGUE. IF YA'LL DON'T THEN IN ABOUT A WEEK I'LL CHANGE THIS STORY TO COMPLETE. I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHPATER. IT WAS HELLA LONG. HAHA. I WORKED HARD ON IT. THERE ARE SOME PARTS I THOUGHT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER AND THAT I'M KIND OF DISAPPOINTED WITH, BUT OVERALL I REALLY ENJOYED IT. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ AND I HOPE YOU AT LEAST ENJOYED SOME PARTS. I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED SYLVIE AND BEN HAVING A CHUCK AND BLAIR MOMENT! HAHA. THANKS AGAIN FOR TUNING BACK IN. PLEASE REVIEW. IF YOU'LL LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT THE EPILOGUE THAT'D BE GREAT! THANKS AGAIN. LADEEDAH! - KRISTINE. **


	21. Seven Years Later

-1**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'M SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER TO BECOME A REALITY. IT WAS THIS TIME LAST YEAR THAT LACEY PM'D ME AND MADE ME REMEMER HOW BADLY I WANTED TO MAKE THIS SEQUEL TO HELPING RORY A REALITY. I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS. I WORKED SUPER HARD ON IT. I TRIED TO MAKE IT INTERESTING AS WELL AS TO WRAP UP A LOT OF STORIES. IT TAKES PLACE SEVEN YEARS AFTER THE LAST CHAPTER. THANKS FOR TUNING BACK IN. - KRISTINE.**

**RATING: PG**

**DISLCAIMER: DON'T OWN ANYONE BUT GIGI, JAMES, AND BRIGITTE. **

**EPILOGUE: SEVEN YEARS LATER**

- - -

There were days when Gigi Hayden struggled to remember what her life had been like before she'd fallen head over heels in love with James. It honestly in many ways seemed like a lifetime ago. Now when she ran into old high school friends and they brought up Miles she felt foolish for ever thinking he was the right choice for her. She couldn't believe she'd shed a single tear over him.

Not only had Miles Maxwell been rejected or wait-listed by every Ivy League school he applied to, but by the time his father had been able to pull enough strings to get Princeton to take him, he had managed to get Keaton Somersby pregnant. Instead of going off to college like most of his friends he stayed mostly local and went to work with Keaton's stepfather. The last she'd heard he was married, miserable, and still had a wandering eye. There were rumors that he was sleeping with a pilates instructor at the country club. Suffice to say there was never a moment when Gigi wondered what her life would have been like had he not dumped her three weeks before her ball. In fact she often considered sending him a note thanking him. If it hadn't been for his act of cruelness she'd never have reconnected with James.

Gigi and James both managed to survive AP Physics and graduated as valedictorians of their respective senior classes. They joined each other at Yale and despite Gigi's early concerns going to school together did not in any way strain their relationship or diminish any of the magic. In fact she had probably never needed someone more than she needed James when freshman year at Yale started. That fall when Gigi showed up on Yale's hallowed campus she was joined only by James and Sylvie.

Fallon went to her families' alma mater, Duke and managed to graduate in three years so that the moment she got her diploma she was able to marry Daniel and follow him to Japan where they'd been stationed for the last three years. When they talked it was mostly about sushi and great deals she got at the local commissary. Occasionally the topic of whether or not she was ready to have a family came up. Audrey joined Rafe at Oxford where she spent her days writing poetry and debating the finer points of American football versus soccer. She made a point to come home for the odd weekend, birthday, and holidays, but for the most part lived her life in England.

It had been a difficult adjustment going from three best friends to just one. Luckily James had been there to distract her.

They'd played a lot of golf. Studied a great deal. Made out nearly every chance they got. Spent far too many drunken nights at the pub. Perfected a karaoke performance of "Video Phone" that was a sure fire way to bring down the house. But most importantly they followed in Logan, Colin, Stephanie, and Finn's footsteps by joining the Life and Death Brigade. Stashed in the back of her closet was her gorilla mask which when she was really drunk she occasionally donned.

Gigi did the unthinkable and decided to be a teacher, a public school teacher on top of that. She had the opportunity to return to Chilton as a member of the social sciences department, but turned it down in favor of a challenge. She hadn't exactly picked an inner city school which she was always quick to point out when women at the country club decided to praise her for her "gutsy" career choice. She taught mostly middle class kids the finer points of sociology, anthropology, political science, and international relations. She taught four classes a day, all of which were AP. In addition she sponsored the Model United Nations club as well as the newspaper much to Rory and Logan's delight. To put it mildly she spent her day being extremely nerdy which fit since in the time since high school ended her vision had weakened and she now often wore glasses which James swore were _super hot in a kinky librarian way. _

James surprised a lot of people including himself when he discovered that he actually did have a passion for architecture. When pressed Josh would admit that his brother was more talented than he was at his age. And boy did Honor press him. Even though he wasn't a boy anymore she still treated him like he was. He'd be lying if he said he didn't occasionally enjoy it.

- - -

"You're late." Was first thing she said the moment he walked into the brownstone they've shared since they decided to move back to Hartford. He'd known the moment he saw it that it was perfect for the two of them. He'd surprised her with it for her birthday.

"I know I'm sorry. My last meeting ran over. They wouldn't stop peppering me with questions."

She stopped touching up her makeup and peeked her head out of the doorway. "Did they like your ideas?"

He nodded enthusiastically.

"Good." She knew he worked very hard to impress his brother. He never wanted anyone to accuse him of resting on his laurels or riding his brother's coattails. "I was late getting home too," she admitted with a sheepish grin. "Model UN ran over."

"Maybe there won't be very much traffic." He said hopefully.

"Maybe," she agreed.

Even though they were both extremely busy 24 year olds who paid their own bills neither wanted to be late for Friday night dinner. Francine and Emily's wrath still terrified them. They both rushed out of the brownstone two minutes later.

- - -

They were only fifteen minutes late which was a miracle considering they left nearly a half an hour later than they normally would have. They exchanged quick hugs with Brigitte who five years later was still dutifully greeting guests at the front door, though now she appreciated more benefits than she originally had. Each year she got a paid vacation as well as having every other Friday off. Being Emily Gilmore's maid wasn't a bad job nowadays.

Gigi grinned when she walked into the parlor and found Holden regaling everyone with a story that she assumed was about his day.

"Aunt Gigi! Uncle James!" he hollered as he charged towards them from across the room. He hugged them both as if he hadn't seen them in months even though he spent the night at their brownstone just last weekend so that Rory and Logan could enjoy a night to themselves.

Holden Beckett Huntzberger was the perfect mix of his parents with a bit of Finn and a dash of Colin thrown in there. Hell there was probably a little bit of everyone thrown in there. At seven years old it was already obvious that he was going to be a heartbreaker just like his father though Rory made him promise not to grow up to be a cad. He agreed and then immediately asked what a cad was.

Rory was now the Editor in Chief at Stripe and had turned it into _the _magazine for cool kids. All of Gig's kids at school lived for Stripe and her newspaper staff nearly fainted when she took them to the magazines small headquarters. With Margot's help as well as the rest of the family Rory managed to juggle her mom hat, wife hat, and editor hat.

Logan still ran HPG, but had also taken to writing a regular column for the Conscientious American. He rarely traveled because he refused to allow himself to be the kind of father Mitchum had been. He even was the parent most likely to accompany Holden on a field trip and once a month ventured to Holden's exclusive school to handle storybook hour like a devoted parent. It should be noted that he was the only father to do this.

Rory and Logan were still as madly in love as they were in college. Becoming parents had made them closer just like Richard had predicted.

"Sorry we're late." Gigi said as they sat down in their usual spot on the sofa. "My Model UN meeting ran over."

"Don't worry Holden was just entertaining us with a story about show and tell today. Apparently one student brought in one of their mother's magazines." Richard explained with a wicked grin.

Gigi shot Rory a look that asked what was so funny about the catalog. She gasped when Rory mouthed what magazine or rather catalog it was. _Victoria's Secret._

"Apparently Tyler forget the comic book he initially intended to bring and grabbed the first interesting thing he could find in the backseat of his mother's car." Logan smirked.

"It wasn't anything like Mommy's magazine." Holden explained. "It was filled with beautiful angels though they weren't dressed anything like the women in the Christmas pageant at church."

"Yes well those angels are a bit more…exotic," Lorelai explained to her adorable grandson, "Than the ones at church."

"Would Aunt Anne Marie dress like that if she were in a Christmas pageant?"

Logan chuckled a bit. Once upon a time the answer might actually have been yes. "Probably not because it's really cold at Christmas time. The Angels in those catalogs are kind of like on vacation."

Holden seemed to ponder whether or not he was willing to buy his father's explanation.

"Those aren't your everyday angels," James added.

"Tell everyone what you brought Holden." Rory instructed her son knowing that it would distract him.

"Oh my gosh it was so cool I brought the golf clubs Aunt Gigi and Uncle James bought me."

Gigi and James had taken it upon themselves to train Holden to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. At first he'd been more interested in playing soccer and tennis, but had quickly come around to the idea when they showed him all of their trophies from their glory days. That much to their glee had changed his mind about a game he originally decreed as being boring.

- - -

"So I ran into Betsy at Nordstrom's today," Emily said innocently as she nibbled on the pork roast she had picked out for tonight's meal. "She asked when the two of you were going to settle down."

"Mom they are settled down," Lorelai pointed out.

"We both know I don't mean cohabitating," Emily countered. "When are you two going to get married."

"You've been together for over seven years now," Francine added as though they needed reminding. "And we aren't getting any younger."

"We'll get married when we're ready. We are happy with how our lives are right now. We don't feel pressured to get married just because all of our friends are."

Ben and Sylvie had gotten married last year in a spectacular ceremony on the beach in Costa Rica. They now lived in New York where Ben was making a name for himself as a surgeon and Sylvie was an accomplished financial advisor.

Conner and Sela had defied the odds and were actually getting married in a few shorts month. They'd gone to separate colleges which somehow actually strengthened their relationship. What used to drive them crazy about the other had become endearing in the years they spent apart.

Everyone it seemed was getting married but Gigi and James and she was okay with that. It wasn't like they weren't already building a life together as it was. They were even thinking about buying a dog together. They'd taken to watching Dogs 101 to find what they were hoping would be the right one for them.

"When would we even have time to plan a wedding?" Gigi asked. "We both have barely enough time for social lives as it is."

"Well I don't see how that's an appropriate excuse because we both know that the two of us would be more than happy to plan the ceremony for you."

"In fact we would prefer it that way." Francine remarked with a grin.

"Sofie apparently said her first word," Logan told the group before the debate got too heated. He could remember a time when it was him and Rory being grilled about their reluctance to tie the knot. He understood what it was to be okay with where you were in the moment, to not feel the need to throw this huge ceremony.

"What was it?"

Rory chuckled at the thought, "Money."

"She is Colin's daughter after all," Lorelai announced jokingly as though there had been some sort of debate about the little girl's paternity.

"Stephanie thought at first she was saying Mommy, but quickly realized that her daughter was talking about cash instead." Logan had almost fallen off of the couch when Colin relayed the story to him.

"What was my first word?" Holden questioned.

"Okay," Rory could still remember just how elated Logan had been when he heard it.

"Okay?" Holden asked.

"Okay." Logan confirmed. "I was leaving for a business trip was terrified of missing your first word. I told you that, "I would see you in three days, okay?" and you grinned back at me and said "Okay" as if it was the most natural thing in the world."

"And somehow I was the one who actually ended up missing your first word," Rory had been furious when Logan ran into the room and told her the good news. "Then again somehow I missed all of your early firsts."

"I'll be right back," James replied as he excused himself from the table.

"Really?" Holden asked in surprise.

"Your first laugh was at a face that I made," Lorelai told the young boy. "It looked a bit like this." She replied as she made the face that years ago had made him giggle.

"Your first steps were taken in my dorm room," Gigi added. "James had called you over to look at something and to our amazement instead of crawling you toddled over to him."

"It's true," James replied as he sat back down at the table.

"And we," Emily said proudly as she gestured between her and Francine, "were the people you smiled at for the first time."

"The cards were stacked against me," Rory joked.

- - -

"I decided to do something special," Emily explained as a small silver covered dish was placed in front of everyone. "Everybody got a different type of desert from this exquisite place I found downtown."

"What'd you get?" Gigi asked as James lifted his lid.

"A tart of some sort," James replied. "You?"

Gigi lifted her lid and gasped when instead of a desert she found a ring as well as a card that said _Will you marry me?. _She looked up at James and then back down at tray.

"What do you say?" James' heart was beating faster than it would have if he were to try to run a marathon.

"Yes," she nodded enthusiastically. "Yes." She kissed him before punching him hard in the shoulder.

"What was that for?" James asked as he rubbed the sensitive spot where she had hit him.

"For allowing me to go on like a fool about how okay I was in us not being married."

"I didn't want to ruin the surprise. Brigitte and I had been coming up with this for weeks. I actually stopped by your parents today to ask your father for your hand which is why I was late."

"I'll get the champagne!" Francine announced excitedly.

"I'll get the glasses!" Lorelai replied.

"I'll ask Brigitte how she could withhold this from us." Emily was shocked to say the least.

"Can I be your best man?" Holden asked hopefully.

"How about you get to be the ring bearer instead?" Gigi suggested.

"I'd let you be my best man, but I have a feeling Conner would be very mad at me." James explained. "Plus if you're the ring bearer then you get to walk down the aisle with Addie."

Holden brightened at the thought of getting to walk down the aisle with Addie. She was Finn and Anne Marie's youngest daughter and the love of his life. "On second thought I'd much rather be ring bearer."

"I thought as much."

- - -

Six short months after getting engaged at a Friday night dinner all of their friends and family gathered in the large church that Emily and Francine had painstakingly picked out. Sherry hadn't been invited. Gigi had walked down the aisle to the less traditional but equally beautiful Ave Maria in a dressed designed by Stephanie. James had worn his signature Ralph Lauren as picked out by Honor. Holden carried the rings. Addie sprinkled the flowers. Sylvie had been her matron of honor. Conner his best man. Fallon, Rafe, Daniel, and Audrey had flown in from their new International lives to be a part of the festivities. Honor had cried. And so had Emily, Francine, Lorelai, and even if only for a moment Colin, but to this day he swore that he had something in his eye. Eli Rockwell-Kelly no longer a prep school student with a passion for music, but now an accomplished musician had played their wedding reception. He volunteered as a way of saying thanks for setting him up with Matt who had become the top music video director in the industry. As a special gift for Gigi he played his acoustic version of Paper Planes which made him famous on YouTube. Roxanne came as his plus one. The first song they danced to as a married couple was Video Phone as performed by Lane and Dave which made it even better if not weirder. They shoved a mint chocolate chip cake into each other's famous that was made by the guy from Ace of Cakes. Paris sang a touching as well as hilarious version of Thank You For Loving Me. Finn, Anne Marie, Ava, and Addie gave them a puppy as a wedding present, a German Shepherd which Addie appropriately named Asher. Brigitte caught the bouquet. And then the young couple climbed into an old fashioned Rolls Royce and went on to their honeymoon and allowed the rest of the world to read about the festivities in the Hartford Courant as described in vivid detail by Kelly Woo, the young reporter who seven years ago had written about their debutante ball experience for the same paper.

Occasionally they ran into Miles, who Keaton finally divorced after getting tired of his wandering eye. Gigi always made sure to thank him for dumping her.

**THE END.**

- - -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: AH! IT'S OVER. I HOPE YOU LIKED IT. I HOPE IT WAS GOOD. I REALLY TRIED HARD TO MAKE IT GOOD. I WANTED TO INCLUDE A BIT OF EVERYTHING. THANK YOU SO MUCH READING THIS STORY. IT WAS MY LOVECHILD. I'M SORRY I LEFT IT FOR SO LONG. IT'S REALLY HARD TO WRITE AN EPILOGUE. I'M REALLY GOING TO MISS WRITING ABOUT JAMES AND GIGI. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT IF I CAN EVER GET ANOTHER CHAPER OF A SECOND CHANCE AT BEING MRS. HUNTZBERGER TO COME TO FRUITION THAT JAMES AND GIGI MIGHT MAKE AN APPEARANCE THERE. HOW WOULD THAT SOUND? ANYWAY THANKS AGAIN FOR READING. THIS HAS BEEN FUN. - KRISTINE.**


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